Living Backwards
by ravengal
Summary: AU. Before Ranma and Akane have even met, the changes in their lives cause them to 'go underground'. When they do meet, they're both disguised as each other's gender, one a bit more literally than the other. Cue the confusion and chaos. RanmaxAkane
1. The New Guy

Author's note: Howdy! I've had this idea rolling around in my head for a while, so I thought I'd share it and see what people make of it.

The basic idea here is that chapter one occurs before Genma and Ranma have even come back from China. Many small details will change in the storyline, which, all together, will cause one big divergence from canon.

Lastly, the name of the school mentioned in this chapter means 'fresh/new world' High School.

**Chapter One: The New Guy**

Akane Tendo was miserable. For the past hour, she'd been crying her eyes out on her pillow. Now, finally, she'd calmed down enough to merely sit on her bed and stare into space. Having run out of tears, she was feeling better, but her heart now felt empty.

It had finally happened. What she'd always thought was impossible and had been praying to never happen had happened. Dr. Tofu had actually asked Kasumi out. The object of her affections had asked out her oldest sister. Not only that, but it had been done right in front of her. He'd come to see Kasumi, Akane had answered the door, Kasumi had walked over and greeted him, he'd completely ignored Akane, stuttering and saying stupid things to Kasumi, a silence had followed, then he'd blurted out the question. Kasumi, though surprised, had naturally smiled and said that she'd love to.

It was over. Everything that Akane had worked for for the last five years of her life was over. She'd tried so hard to be the girl that he wanted... she'd tried so hard to be more appealing than Kasumi... but, in the end, she'd still lost. Kasumi, not her, was now Dr. Tofu's girlfriend.

It was true that she had plenty of choice when it came to boyfriends... she could have any guy she wanted... but none appealed to her like _he_ did. He was kind, thoughtful and mature... whereas the horde of boys that she had to beat the crap out of everyday were just selfish mindless perverts.

She ran a hand through her long dark blue hair, sighing at her misfortune. She'd grown this hair for _him_, too, in an attempt to look more feminine than Kasumi. She was still just a kid to the guy, though, and always _would_ be.

She was fed up. Now that she'd lost Dr. Tofu, why would she need to go on living the way she was? Why not just chop all of her hair off, since it was clearly no use anymore? She'd always preferred having short hair anyway; she'd only grown it to impress _him_.

Hell, she was a tomboy anyway, too. Why not just throw away any femininity that she'd forced on herself for his sake and go back to how she used to be? She shuddered at becoming more masculine. The thought repulsed her. If there was one thing that she'd hate to be, it was to be anything that even slightly resembled the Furinkan High School perverts.

Lowering her hand back down to the bed, she pondered this for a moment. If she was more masculine, there was a chance that those perverts would leave her alone, right? Although, it would probably take a lot more than simply cutting her hair.

What if... she became a boy herself? She shuddered again, but didn't dispel the thought. It would certainly get them off her back, but how on Earth would she even manage that? She couldn't exactly change her gender at will... not that she wanted to. Hell no. She could masquerade as one easily enough, but the Furinkan High School boys would know. They may be stupid, but not _that_ stupid. They knew her well enough to recognise her instantly. Maybe she should just change schools. That way, she wouldn't have to pretend to be a boy and she could, maybe, get on with her life in peace.

Her thoughts were derailed by an image of a horde of boys, in completely different school uniforms, forcefully hounding her every moment of the day to go on a date with them, and her fist clenched in anger. It was true; even if she switched schools, there was no guarantee that it wouldn't happen again... and that kind of attention was the last thing she wanted after basically being rejected by Dr. Tofu. If she couldn't have _him_, then she didn't want anyone else.

She'd made up her mind. Frowning in determination, she stood up from the bed and made her way to her bedroom door; it was time to ask a few favours from Kasumi.

* * *

"_What_?" Kasumi yelped, throwing her pan of food into the air. It noisily crashed to the floor. Calming down, she lowered her arms. "Akane, are you sure?"

Akane paused for a moment, thinking it over one last time, then nodded. "I'm sure," she replied, gripping the scissors in her hand tighter.

"Oh, my..."

"Hey," Nabiki said, poking her head into the kitchen. Kasumi and Akane both turned to look at her. "What's with the racket in here?"

Kasumi put a hand to her face. "Well, Akane wants me to cut her hair so that she looks like a boy..."

Nabiki paused, staring at Akane. "What? Seriously?"

Akane paused again, somewhat embarrassed. "Well..." she began, "it's time for a new start. I'm gonna ask Dad to enrol me as a boy in another school."

"You're going to do _whaaaat_?" Soun wailed, rushing to Nabiki's side and crying his eyes out. "Akane!" He began sobbing into his arm. "How could you do this to your father?"

Nabiki smirked. "Well, isn't _this_ an interesting development?" she said.

Akane growled in annoyance. "Dad, come on!" she snapped. "I need to do this! It's not as if I _like_ the idea of being of boy!"

"Why do it, then?" Kasumi asked.

Akane paused again, not willing to divulge the true reason. "I just... need a change." She worked her brain furiously for a better excuse. "I... wanted to see if there were any decent guys out there. If... I got in close with them as a boy, I could... get to know them better... and see what they're really like."

A pause followed this announcement. Finally, Nabiki smirked again. "I see..." she replied. "Very interesting. Quite strange, coming from _you_, but interesting."

Soun burst into tears again. "My... my little girl... wants to be a boy!" he wailed.

Kasumi smiled brightly. "Well, I'll be happy to stand by you in your decision, Akane!" she said cheerfully.

Akane was touched by her oldest sister's kindness. Truly, no woman deserved Dr. Tofu's love more than her. "Kasumi..." she replied.

"Alright, first, we have to decide which school you're going to. Father will need to get you enrolled. Before then, we can go shopping and buy you some bindings! And some male clothes! Then we can work on your hair and, after the enrolment, we can go shopping and buy you a male uniform! Oh, this'll be so much fun!"

Akane almost fell over in disbelief. It figures that Kasumi would see turning her youngest sister into a boy as a game of dress-up...

* * *

Akane held the mirror in front of her face, checking her new look again, as Kasumi tightened the bindings around her chest. She looked so different now, with two thirds of her dark blue hair in the trash can outside. She still looked a bit feminine, but a lot of masculinity was shining through too. It unnerved her that she looked so much like a boy.

Kasumi tugged one last time on the bindings, causing Akane to yell in discomfort, before she neatly secured them in place. God, she never realised how uncomfortable being a boy would actually be... and she'd have to do this every day she went to school?

"There," Kasumi said with a smile as she moved away and grabbed the long-sleeved white dress shirt and black uniform jacket from the bed.

Akane placed the mirror back down and gently touched the bindings, cringing when she felt how tight they were. "Ugh..." she said, "so uncomfortable..."

"You'll get used to it, Akane. Here." She held out the shirt.

"Thanks." Akane took it and started to put it on. Once she was finished buttoning it, Kasumi held out the jacket. She took it and started to put it on. After fastening the golden buttons of the jacket all the way to the collar, she looked down at herself, marvelling yet again at how good the winter version of the uniform looked. "Wow. I wish I had full-length mirror to look at this properly."

"Don't worry. You look very handsome, Akane."

Akane wasn't sure how to take this remark, but she figured it was a compliment. Straightening up, she smiled uneasily. "Um, thanks, Kasumi..."

"So, do you have an alias for the new school? Or did Father enrol you as 'Akane Tendo'?"

Akane hung her head as she remembered the events that had transpired the day of enrolment. They were, to say the least, very embarrassing.

"_Yo!" the principal said with a toothy grin and a wave. "You must be Mr. Tendo!"_

"_Why, yes," Soun replied sheepishly, one hand behind his head, "I am."_

_The principal flashed a peace sign, his dark brown eyes burning with passion. "Radical!" He ran the hand through his shoulder-length brown hair, then placed it on the desk. His other hand then started fiddling with the gold yen-sign necklace around his neck. "And I take it that handsome young man is your son?"_

_Soun straightened his posture. "Yes!" He indicated Akane. "This is my son, Aka-" He froze and Akane realised, with horror, what the problem was._

_With her real name being too feminine, she had to think up a new one, fast. Her father hadn't given her much to work with, much to her annoyance, but she had to try, for the sake of the plan._

"_Aka..." she said, working her brain as hard as she could, "shi! Akashi Tendo." She secretly patted herself on the back for the quick thinking._

"_Akashi Tendo, huh?" the principal asked, finally letting go of his necklace. "What an awesome name that is!" He stood up and slammed his hands on the desk. "Welcome to Shinkisekai High School!"_

Akane sighed at the dreadful memory, then looked back at Kasumi and smiled. "Yeah, I do have an alias," she said. "My name's now Akashi Tendo."

Kasumi looked pleased. "Oh, my..." she replied, "what a manly name that is."

Akane's smile faltered. _Manly?_ she thought. She wasn't sure whether or not she was happy about that. "Uh, yeah... thanks..."

"Well, come on, Akane. Let's go show Father and Nabiki. I'm sure they'll be just as impressed."

* * *

It was certainly strange that Akane had to get the bus to school from now on. Furinkan High School was the closest school to the Tendo household, but, since she'd wanted to switch to a school as far away from that one as possible, she'd had to attend the one on the other side of Nerima.

It had been a fairly short bus journey, but it had still been her first time riding a bus. She'd had an awkward moment trying to figure out how the fare system worked, but, other than that, it had been quite fun doing something so alien to her.

Now, wearing her summer uniform, which consisted of a short-sleeved white dress shirt and black pants, she stood in front of her new school, feeling incredibly nervous as she watched other students walk past her through the gate. She was a boy now, she had to remember. In order to truly look like one and make everyone else believe it, she had to believe it herself. No more acting the slightest bit feminine.

As a group of giggling girls walked past her, she couldn't help but admire their uniform. It was nothing like the girls' uniform in Furinkan High, which had been a white shirt covered by a green dress that had a ribbon at the back. This one was a true sailor uniform. The shirt was white with a blue collar and a yellow scarf that was tied with a pink knot and the skirt was knee-length, blue and pleated. A hint of jealousy stabbed at her heart as she realised that she'd never get to wear such a cute and feminine uniform, but she shook it off, gripping the handle of her book bag in anxiety before heading inside.

* * *

"Gooood _morning_, class!" the female teacher yelled cheerfully down a microphone. "Are you ready for another day of school? I know _I_ am!"

"Yes, Miss..." the class replied in a monotone.

Akane, standing outside the classroom door, cringed at the odd peppiness at this school. First the hippy principal, now the teacher with too much energy? What next?

"Well, I think _now's_ the time to introduce our new student! Please enter!"

Akane held her breath nervously as she slid open the door and strolled in. Sliding the door closed behind her, she made her way over to the teacher's desk. As she did so, she glanced at the class, instantly noticing that every eye was on her. She wondered if they were fooled. She may have _looked_ like a boy, but did they actually believe that she _was_ one? Were the students at Shinkisekai High School as stupid as the ones at Furinkan High School?

She stopped as she reached the desk, faced her fellow classmates and cleared her throat. "Uh..." she said, "hi..."

A quiet chorus of murmuring followed, during which she grew even more nervous. She couldn't hear a word that anyone was saying, so her imagination was running wild with guesses.

The teacher, her amber eyes sparkling, dramatically pointed a finger at her. "This is Akashi Tendo!" She flipped the fringe of her strawberry blonde hair. "He liked the look of our school _so_ much..." She leaned towards the rest of the class and bellowed down her microphone. "_That he chose to travel here every day all the way from the other end of Nerima_!" She lowered her voice slightly. "Isn't he the coolest?" A ripple of awe sprung up from the classroom. The teacher thrust her finger out at them. "_Now_!" She shielded her eyes as though the sun was shining in them. "Where to seat you?" She was silent for a moment, then snapped her fingers and pointed. "That seat by the window should do nicely!"

Akane felt exasperated just watching her. _So much energy..._ she thought. She nodded anyway, just to be polite. "Yes, Miss."

* * *

Finally, class was over and it was time for recess. Honestly, Akane was glad for the short break, as listening to a teacher yelling down a microphone with infinite energy was rather exhausting.

"Hey there," a male voice said.

Akane looked up to see a boy with dark brown hair and green eyes standing over her, smiling, while being flanked by two other boys. One had auburn hair and blue eyes, while the other had light brown hair and brown eyes.

"Hey," she replied.

"Your name was Akashi, right?"

"Uh, yeah."

The guy pointed to himself with his thumb. "I'm Benjiro." He pointed to the auburn-haired boy with his index finger. "That's Chikao." He pointed to the light brown-haired boy. "And that's Daichi."

_What an informal introduction,_ Akane thought as Benjiro lowered his arm. _So, they want to be on first name terms as soon as we meet, huh?_ "Nice to meet you all."

"You wanna hang out with us, Akashi?" Chikao asked.

"Um, sure, okay."

"Great," Daichi replied. The three began to walk away. "Come sit with us over here, then!"

Akane got up nervously, wondering if, maybe, this was some sort of trap to get her alone. Maybe they knew she was actually a girl and were planning to dog-pile her as soon as she sat down. She walked over carefully and, when directed to a chair, seated herself, watching each boy with suspicion.

Benjiro laughed. "What's the matter, Akashi?" he asked. "You look so tense. Lighten up!"

"Yeah," Chikao added with a wide smile, "we're not gonna bite ya!"

Akane relaxed a bit, but refused to let down her guard. Ever since enrolling in Furinkan High School, she'd been unable to trust boys, so it would be very difficult for her to 'lighten up' around these three. Still, they didn't seem to know that she was a girl. It was still unsettlingly weird hanging out with a group of boys, though. She was sure they were going to jump her any minute.

"So," Daichi said, "what made you decide to come to Shinkisekai High School, then, Akashi?"

Akane looked up at his warm smiling face and felt a bit more at ease. She relaxed her shoulders. "Well..." she replied, "I don't really wanna talk about it... but let's just say I needed to get away from it all."

Benjiro crossed his arms and nodded sagely. "I see," he said. "Well, I'm glad you chose _this_ school, anyway. You seem like a pretty cool guy."

Flattered, Akane gave him a warm smile. "Thanks."

Benjiro blushed, then quickly coughed and looked away. "Um, well, yes..."

Akane blinked in disbelief. _Did Benjiro just blush?_ she thought. _But he thinks I'm a boy, right? God, am I even able to affect boys when I'm one too? Life sucks._

"That new guy is so cute!" a female voice muttered excitedly behind her.

Akane stiffened. _New guy? Cute?_

Another girl giggled. "Yeah, I know," she replied. "He has the most gorgeous eyes!"

"I love his hair," a third girl said. "He looks so feminine and yet... so masculine!" All three girls quietly squealed in delight.

Utterly horrified, Akane sank into her chair. _Oh, hell, no..._ she thought._ Now I've got __**girls**__ fawning over me? Why me? __**Why**__?_

Chikao chuckled. "Looks like you're pretty popular with the ladies there, Akashi," he said.

Akane sank lower. _Whenever I look in the mirror, there must be something there I'm just not seeing... First boys, now girls... I mean, really..._

"Akashi?" Daichi asked in concern. "You okay, dude?"

"Yeah... I'm great..."

_Why_ had she thought this would be a good idea? Why did she have to decide 'Hey, why not switch schools and pretend to be a boy?' Surely, she didn't need to go to such lengths to avoid her problems... but, with the word 'quit' not being in her vocabulary, she wasn't about to give up and go back to Furinkan High School.

She looked over at her new group of 'friends' and suddenly began to miss Sayuri and Yuka. They had been her best friends for years and she'd suddenly gone and left them behind. She'd told them over the phone that she was changing schools, but she hadn't said where or why. It made her feel guilty, but she couldn't risk anyone else finding out about her situation. If Tatewaki Kuno knew the details, he'd come rushing over immediately, in an attempt to both court her and convince her to go back to Furinkan High School. She really didn't want that.

"Hey..." Benjiro said, hitting his palm with his fist, "I've just realised something."

"What?" Chikao asked.

Benjiro grinned, showing off his teeth. "Our little group is made up of the perfect four guys!"

Chikao tilted is head in confusion. "Huh?"

"I don't get it," Daichi said.

"Akashi," Benjiro said, "_you_ get it, right?"

"Hmm?" Akane replied, unsure where he was going with this.

"Think of our four names... and _then_ tell me why this group is so perfect together!"

Akane paused to think about it. _Our names?_ she thought. _Let's see... Akashi... What were their names again? Chikao... Daisuke- no, Daichi... um... Benjiro..._

"Got it yet?"

"Hold on a minute." _Akashi... Chikao... Benjiro... and Daichi... Akashi, Benjiro, Chikao and Daichi..._ Suddenly, it hit her. She nearly fell off her chair in disbelief. "No way..."

Benjiro leaned forward eagerly. "Well?"

Akane sighed, unable to believe the weird coincidence. "A, B, C and D..."

Benjiro clapped happily. "That's right!"

"Wow!" Chikao said, his eyes sparkling. "That _is_ cool!"

"Yeah!" Daichi agreed. "Perfect, just like you said, Benjiro!"

Benjiro put his knuckles on his hips and chuckled, looking very smug. "Isn't it, though?" he replied.

_What is __**with**__ this crazy school?_ Akane thought, planting her face on the desk.


	2. The New Girl

Author's note: Hey again! We're back and, this time, we deal with Ranma's side of the story.

I don't know if anybody noticed, but the uniforms at Shinkisekai High School are the exact same uniforms that Ranma and Akane wore in the OVA 'Reawakening Memories'... so, if you can't picture how they look, just check that OVA out. :)

Well, actually, in the OVA, Akane was wearing the winter gakuran and Ranma was wearing the summer seifuku, but you get the idea.

**Chapter Two: The New Girl**

Ranma Saotome was pissed off. Not only was _he_ now a _she_, thanks to the rain and the damn Jusenkyo curse... and in _Japan_, when she wanted to be in _China_... but her father had told her, before turning into a panda, that she had a fiancée. He'd actually told her that she'd been in an arranged marriage since before she'd been born.

She'd, naturally, beaten the crap out of him a few times over for so much as _daring_ to think that she'd be happy about this... and she _would_ have stormed off to China to have her curse cured, but, with Genma being Genma, the panda had knocked her unconscious, somehow, and had carried her away. She'd only just woken up, in fact, and was punching his back and kicking his front in an effort to make him put her down. If she wasn't in such an awkward position, she'd have beaten him senseless already.

When Genma suddenly stopped in front of a house and knocked on the door, Ranma took this as an opportunity to punch him across the head. Genma grunted, but ignored her.

Ranma scowled. "So, what's the deal, old man?" she asked. "Just where the hell _are_ we?" Again, Genma ignored her, instead choosing to knock on the door a second time. Ranma growled in annoyance. "Old man... you'd better tell me where the hell we are _right now_, or I'm gonna-"

"Just a minute!" a female voice called out.

Ranma paused in her rant to look over her shoulder in intrigue. "Who the hell's _that_?" She paused again, then scowled. "Did you bring me to my _fiancee's_ house? I swear to God, I-"

The door suddenly opened, revealing a woman with purple hair tied in a bun, who was wearing a kimono. She gasped in shock at the sight before her.

"A... panda?" she asked.

Genma gently picked Ranma up and placed her in front of the woman. Ranma stared at her, wondering who the hell she was, then glanced at Genma to wait to for him to tell her the answer. Instead, he barged past the two of them and headed inside. Unsure what on Earth was going on, Ranma looked back at the woman.

"Um... hello..." she said.

"Hello..." The woman paused. "And who might _you_ be?"

"Uh... I'm..."

"I can explain that..." Genma, now human, said as he appeared behind the woman.

The woman froze, her eyes widening. "G... Genma?" she murmured. She slowly turned around and came face-to-face with Genma. She brought her hands to her mouth. "Genma... it _is_ you..."

"Listen, Nodoka..."

"You... you..." Nodoka's voice cracked. "You're back... After all these years, you're back..." A sob escaped her mouth.

Ranma took a step forward, greatly concerned for her. "Ma'am?" she asked.

"_Where's Ranma_?" Ranma halted in shock at the sound of her name. The woman lunged forward and beat her fists in synchrony against Genma's chest. "Where is he? What have you done with him?"

"Now, Nodoka..." Genma said.

Nodoka sobbed again. "Tell me where he is!"

Ranma really wanted to announce her presence, but her vocal chords were frozen shut. Who _was_ this woman? And how did she know _her_? Not to mention, she didn't exactly _look_ like 'Ranma' anymore, anyway, so that would only be awkward.

Genma sighed and scratched his nose. "Maybe it's best if we discuss this inside."

"Please... where is he? And why was there a panda and a red-haired girl at my door? Do you know them?"

"Yes... you could say I _do_... Now, please, Nodoka... let me and... _the red-haired girl_ inside, will you? We need to talk."

Nodoka sniffled. "Alright."

* * *

Ranma, kneeling at a low table with Genma and Nodoka, was now male again, thanks to Genma throwing hot water from a kettle on him. Nodoka, in the meantime, was staring wide-eyed and open-mouthed at him, like he was the most valuable treasure in the universe.

"Ranma...?" Nodoka asked quietly.

"Um..." he replied, "yeah, that's my name..."

"Ranma!" Nodoka burst into tears again and flung herself at him. She wrapped her arms around him and embraced him in a tight hug. "Ranma... My Ranma..."

Ranma was stupefied. He glared at Genma. "Alright, Pop... care to explain what's going on here?"

Nodoka pulled away from him. He looked at her and relaxed his glare as he saw how sad and hurt she looked.

"You... don't know, Ranma?"

"Uh... know what?"

Nodoka covered her face with her kimono sleeve and sobbed. "Oh, Genma... you haven't... even _told_ him about me?"

"It was for his own good, Nodoka," Genma replied. "He needed to be raised _away_ from the distractions of a mother's love."

Ranma's heart stopped in his chest. _Did... Pop just say what I __**think**__ he said?_ he thought. "M... Mother?"

Nodoka sniffled and smiled as she lowered her sleeve. "Yes, Ranma..." she replied, "I'm your mother."

A whirlwind of emotions attacked Ranma's heart all at once. He felt shocked that his mother was right in front of him... he felt guilty that he'd never even _thought_ about having a mother before... he felt awkward for not remembering a thing about her... he felt happy for finally meeting her... and he felt warm affection, knowing that she was the one who'd given birth to him.

"Mom..."

"My Ranma... I'm so happy to finally see you again... and you've grown into such a handsome young man..." Her voice cracked again and tears filled her eyes. She covered her face with her sleeve again. "I just wish I'd been there to watch you grow up..."

Confused by this last statement, Ranma glanced over at Genma, whom he noticed was slowly trying to crawl out the door. He glared daggers at him, since he knew the man's usual tricks. "And just where do you think _you're_ going, Pop?" Genma stopped in his tracks with a strangled noise. Ranma crawled across the floor, knelt next to him and pulled him up by the front of his gi. "What did Mom mean by that, exactly?" Genma, sweating nervously, said nothing, so Ranma shook him. "And why did you never _tell_ me I had a mom?"

"Please, boy, you have to understand!" Genma replied. "I did it for your own good!"

"Did _what_ for my own good?"

"It's not surprising Genma's never told you..." Nodoka said. Ranma looked over at her, relaxing his frown, since he didn't want to glare at someone who didn't deserve it. "If _I_ were in his shoes, I wouldn't speak of such a dishonourable act, either..."

"Dishonourable?" Genma asked with a mixture of annoyance and hurt. "How can you say that, Nodoka?"

Ranma shook him again to keep him quiet. "Shut it, Pop!" he snapped. "Now, what were you saying, Mom?"

Nodoka stared into space. "Fourteen years ago..." she replied, "I tucked Ranma into bed with a goodnight kiss..." She stood up and walked over to a shelf. "The next morning, the house was empty..." She picked a piece of paper off the shelf, walked back to her place at the low table and knelt down. "And all that was left..." She held the piece of paper out to Ranma. "Was this..."

Letting go of Genma's gi, Ranma crawled over to the table, took the paper and looked at it. He stared in a mixture of horror, disgust, anger and sheer disbelief at what he saw on the page. Written there were the words 'Dear Nodoka, gone on a training journey to make Ranma a martial artist. See you in ten years! Genma' with a drawing of Genma grinning and flashing a peace sign in the bottom left-hand corner.

Shaking in fury, Ranma dropped the letter, leapt to his feet and spun to face Genma. He glared so hard at his father that he could feel his blazing hot battle aura licking at his skin.

Genma slid backwards on the carpet, away from him. "Now, Ranma," he said, "there's no need to glare at your father like that. It was for your own good! So, I took you away from your mother in the night! It was either that or take you in the day and risk her trying to stop me! She'd have probably made me promise something just to let me _have_ you! I gave it a lot of thought before I made my decision!"

Every word that Genma said added more fuel to the fire. Ranma stormed towards him and pounded the crap out of him worse than he'd ever done before. Maybe, if he was lucky, he'd hospitalise him this time.

* * *

Unfortunately for Ranma, Genma seemed to possess enough endurance to stay alive, but he was injured enough that he had to be covered from head to toe in bandages, courtesy of Nodoka. However, since she was clearly still holding a grudge, she was none too gentle with the application.

While Genma lay down in the other room, Ranma spent the time explaining to his mother about the various adventures that he'd had on his training journey and the many different people that he'd met along the way. Nodoka was enthralled throughout the entire conversation.

Eventually, Ranma got thirsty, so Nodoka offered him a drink of tea. Declining the offer, Ranma said that he preferred water. When Nodoka brought the glass in, however, she tripped and spilled it all over him. Honestly, he could swear that the curse had made him a cold water magnet.

"Oh, dear!" Nodoka said. "I'm so sorry, Ranma!"

Ranma, now female, shook herself dry. "That's alright, Mom," she replied.

Nodoka stared at her for a moment. "Ranma?"

Ranma felt somewhat embarrassed at her change in gender. "Uh, yeah... it's me, Mom..."

Nodoka paused again. "Dear me. In all the excitement, I'd _forgotten_ about the red-haired girl. Genma poured hot water on you and, then, Ranma appeared." She peered at the empty glass that she was holding. "Does cold water make you the red-haired girl again?"

Ranma nodded. "Yeah."

Nodoka looked back at Ranma. "Gracious... and how do you _do_ that? Is it a magic trick?"

Ranma chuckled dryly, wishing it was that simple. "Nah. At the end of the training journey, Pop dragged me off to China. He took me to a special training ground called Jusenkyo." She frowned in annoyance at the events. "What he _didn't_ know was that the springs were cursed."

Nodoka blinked. "Cursed?"

"Yeah. I knocked Pop into the Spring Of Drowned Panda... and, then, _he_ knocked _me_ into the Spring Of Drowned Girl. Now, when cold water hits us, we turn into a panda and a girl. Hot water turns us back."

Nodoka stared in silence for a minute, then slowly lowered herself into a kneeling position. "I see... This is a lot to take in all at once..." She paused again. "Wait... a panda? Then that panda I saw earlier was...?"

Ranma sighed. "Yep... that was Pop."

"I see..."

Ranma clenched her fists and frowned in determination. "But there's _no way_ I'm gonna be half girl the rest of my life! Somehow, I'll find a way to cure myself! I'll swim back to China, if I have to!"

"Oh, dear me, no, Ranma." Nodoka looked worried, so Ranma relaxed her fists and eyebrows. "You've only just come back to me. I can't afford to lose you again."

"But I wouldn't be gone long! I-!"

"I don't want to risk it. Who knows what'll happen to you, if you head off to China. Please, stay with me a while, Ranma. You're my only son and I want to get to know you, like I haven't been able to the last fourteen years."

Guilt consumed Ranma. She hated it, as she _really_ wanted to go back to China, but her mother was more important. The woman needed her and, unlike Genma, she could afford to put others first.

"Alright, Mom..."

Nodoka smiled. "Thank you, Ranma... Now, did anything exciting happen _after_ Jusenkyo?"

Ranma blanched as she suddenly remembered what was out there, waiting for her. She laughed nervously. "Well, actually..."

"Hmm?"

Ranma sighed again. "Well, me and Pop decided to change back, once we got cursed. The Jusenkyo Guide gave us some hot water. Then we went looking around for food, 'cause the guide didn't have enough for three people. We came across this female Amazon tournament, accidentally ate the winner's prize..." Nodoka gave him a disapproving look. "Hey, we were starving! Anyway, the winner, Shampoo, challenged me to a fight, I beat her and... she gave me the Kiss Of Marriage..."

Nodoka blinked. "The what?"

"Apparently, if a male outsider defeats a female Amazon in combat, he has to marry her. Who knew? Anyway, Pop freaked out the moment he found out and dragged me outta there like a bat outta hell. She's been following us ever since."

"And she's trying to get you to marry her?"

"Yeah. Pop's none too happy about that, though." Ranma scowled. "He says it's 'cause he's already _lined up_ a fiancée for me..."

"Oh, dear, yes. A promise was made between the fathers, I seem to remember."

"Pfft. Pop and his stupid ideas. What made him think I'd wanna marry someone I've never met?"

"I suppose so, but it's not really my place to say... Did anything else happen on the way home?"

Ranma groaned. "Yeah, one other thing happened. We came to this fork in the road somewhere in Northern Japan. Pop took a minute deciding, but he eventually chose right. Somewhere further along the path, we bumped into an old friend of mine that I hadn't seen in ten years. A guy named Ukyo Kuonji. I tell you, Mom, I got _no_ idea why, but Ucchan was really ticked off when I saw him. He said he wanted revenge for 'leaving him behind'. I dunno what he meant by that. In fact, Pop dragged me outta _there_ pretty fast too. Afraid of the big bad Ucchan, I'll bet. Anyway, _he's_ been following us ever since, _too_... only _he_ wants to kill me."

"Oh, dear... you _have_ gotten yourself into some sticky situations, haven't you?"

"Tell me about it..."

Nodoka paused for a moment. "How likely is it that they'll find you in Nerima?"

Ranma ran a hand through her red hair. "_Very_ likely, I'd say. They've followed us everywhere else. At least Ukyo has. Shampoo only followed us around China... but I _guess_ she could follow me here, if she really wanted to. They're both annoyingly good at directions."

"Hmm..." Nodoka paused again. "I have an idea, although I'm not sure you'll like it."

Ranma became curious. "What is it?"

"Well, your curse provides you with the perfect disguise... and neither Shampoo nor Ukyo have seen you as a girl, have they?"

Ranma paused to think about this, then realised it was true. "Hey, you're right..."

"Well, I was thinking that, maybe, we could enrol you in the nearest school... Shinkisekai, I think it's called... but as a girl."

Ranma stared at her mother in horror, unable to believe what she'd just heard her say. "What?"

"_What_?" Genma yelled from the doorway. They both turned to look at him, noticing that he was still covered in bandages. "Nodoka, how can you _speak_ such evils? My son... _son_... is a martial artist... a man among men. I will not allow him to parade around in a girl's uniform!"

"Heh... as much as I hate to agree with Pop, Mom, he's got a point." Nodoka looked back at Ranma. "I'm a guy. I hate this girl body. I can't wait until the day I get rid of it. I'm not gonna pretend to _be_ a girl, just to hide from Shampoo and Ukyo."

"Well said, Ranma, well said! And, besides, you need to get acquainted with your fiancée!"

"In your dreams, Pop..."

"But, Ranma..." Nodoka said, "I would be much happier if I knew you were safe... and Genma..." She turned to face Genma. "Wouldn't you risk losing Ranma to Shampoo's marriage law if you allowed her to catch him?" Genma responded with a strangled noise. "I wouldn't want to see my only son hurt... or forced into a marriage by law." She turned to face Ranma. "I also wanted to spend more time with you... and there would be less chance of that if you were getting to know your fiancée." She smiled. "Besides, you're young, so there's no need to rush you into marriage just yet." She paused again. "On a side note, I had always wanted a daughter, as _well_ as a son... but Genma left before I could talk to him about it." Genma made another strangled noise. "Perhaps you'll grant me the joy of picking out clothes for your girl side?"

The conversation was making Ranma physically sick, but who was she to refuse her mother anything? God, if only Nodoka would stop playing the guilt card. It was working a treat on her every single time.

Ranma sighed. "Alright, fine..." she replied, "I'll give it a try... but I won't like it!"

"_Noooo_!" Genma wailed, collapsing to the floor.

Nodoka beamed. "Wonderful!" She paused. "Oh! Of course, you'll need a new identity to go to school under. You'll be more easily traceable if your name is 'Ranma Saotome'.

Ranma groaned. "Great... I have to change my name now, too?" _Why am I agreeing to this? Damn curse... Maybe it's giving me too many female hormones..._ She shuddered at the thought. "Alright, well, I don't wanna change my name _too_ much. How about Ran..." She used the first feminine symbol that she could think of. "Ko. Ranko Saotome." She paused to consider it, then nodded. "Yeah, that'll do. Ranko Saotome."

"Lovely. I'll get you enrolled tomorrow... then we can go shopping and buy your uniform... and, maybe, some girl clothes."

"My son!" Genma wailed, his face planted on the carpet. "Oh, the shame!"

_Someone please kill me..._ Ranma thought, slapping her forehead.


	3. Perfect Strangers

Author's note: Hello again. :) Oh, just so you know... any criticism you can make is highly appreciated and anything you say, I will make sure to take into account.

Also, I hate to use the word 'pervert' in certain contexts, but the anime really does do that. Ugh. Do be aware of that.

Lastly, does anyone have any idea what to call the teacher and principal? Haha. I haven't given them names yet.

**Chapter Three: Perfect Strangers**

Ranma, currently female with her book bag on her back, stared up at her new school with unease. It wasn't the fact that she was starting a new school that was bothering her, though. Hell no. It was the fact that she was being made to do it as a girl. Not only that, but she was wearing the most revolting uniform the world over.

She couldn't even bear looking at the thing anymore, because it was so disgustingly cute. She was a guy and liked baggy masculine clothing, so the fact that she was wearing it made her sick to her stomach. Honestly, if anyone but her mother had suggested this, she would _never_ have caved, but she'd been so overwhelmed with emotions around the woman that she'd stupidly agreed.

She _hadn't_, of course, known what she'd be in for with the uniform. Quite frankly, that had been the part of the conversation that she'd been least interested in. She'd been far more focused on the whole 'I'd like you to go to school as a girl' part. Therefore, when it had come to actually _buying_ the uniform – which Genma had refused point blank to help them do – she'd completely freaked out. She sighed as she remembered the events.

"_Whoa!" Ranma said, backing away from the uniform that the store owner was holding. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!"_

"_What's the matter, Ranko?" Nodoka asked._

"_Mom, there is no way in __**hell**__ that I'm wearing __**that**__!"_

"_But, Ranko, this is the school uniform..."_

_Ranma placed her back against the nearest wall. "I don't care! I'd rather go to school like __**this**__!" She indicated the red Chinese shirt and dark blue slacks that she was wearing. _

_Nodoka gave her a light frown. "Now, Ranko... in other schools, they might allow that... but Shinkisekai, while perhaps lax in __**other**__ areas, has a strict dress code."_

"_Then why don't I just go to school as a __**guy**__, then? I don't need to hide from Shampoo and Ukyo, anyway! I'm no coward!"_

_Nodoka sighed. "I know you're not, Ranko, but..." Tears formed in Nodoka's eyes, so she placed her kimono sleeve over her face. "I just wanted you to be safe... and to be able to spend some time with you, as your mother..."_

_Ranma faltered. She'd never admit it, but crying females were just as big as weakness for her as cats. "Mom..."_

"_If you're found, you'll either be dragged off to China or killed. I don't want __**either**__ of those to happen..."_

"_Mom, I..." Ranma began to fidget uncomfortably. "I can take care of __**myself**__, you know... When Shampoo and Ukyo find me... I'll be able to hold them off..."_

_Nodoka sniffled, lowering her sleeve and looking her in the eye. "Please, Ranko... try to imagine what this must feel like for me. You're my only so- daughter and I... I'd feel so helpless if Shampoo and Ukyo came for you. At the very least, let me insure that you're safe at school."_

_Ranma really couldn't take anymore. The immense guilt that her mother was making her feel was tying her heart into knots. The woman really knew what buttons to press when it counted. Slowly, she dragged herself across the room, to where the store owner was still holding the uniform and, eyeing the disgusting thing like it was poisonous to the touch, she took it from her. Holding it at arm's length, to keep it as far away from her as possible, she carried it into the changing room._

Ranma shook her head, dispelling the memory, before focusing back on the situation at hand. As much as she hated being a girl, she was doing this for her mother... and, on the bright side, at least she wasn't _stuck_ as a girl. She could change back whenever she liked.

She cringed as she imagined turning into a boy while dressed in the girls' uniform. She was certain that she'd die of embarrassment if that happened and, likely, never live it down. Fortunately – and she never thought she'd use the word 'fortunately' for that – hot water tended to be a lot harder to come by than cold water, so she figured that she'd probably be okay.

At that moment, a slight breeze picked up and blew the long pleated skirt around her legs. She shuddered in disgust as the skirt brushed across silky smooth legs. Among other things, she'd always hated that about her curse; whenever she reverted to girl form, her legs were always perfectly shaven. It was rather similar to the fact that her girl form always wore black mascara and purple eye shadow, despite her never putting it on in boy form. She shuddered again; her girl form was _way_ too feminine.

* * *

Akane had been at Shinkisekai High School for a week so far and was, for the most part, enjoying herself. She'd gotten her wish of being left alone by boys and she actually _was_ starting to get to know some of those boys rather well. This had been an unexpected bonus, as it hadn't been what she'd been aiming for. It had turned out that some of them were actually pretty nice.

On the downside, however, girls fawned over 'Akashi' left, right and centre. At least they didn't gang up on her every morning, like the boys in Furinkan High had, but it was still really embarrassing. Akane considered herself perfectly heterosexual, but she couldn't exactly say that she wasn't interested in girls, because, then, they'd see her as some kind of pervert. Instead, she'd had to nod, smile and accept compliments, while her stomach churned in awkwardness.

Another thing that greatly depressed her, even more than the fawning girls, was the fact that she could no longer join in with her gym class. Sports had always been a big part of her life, alongside martial arts, but the fact that she was really a girl meant that she couldn't get changed in the boys' locker room. If she did, they'd know her secret instantly and stare like perverts at her. She shuddered.

"Gooood _morning_, class!" the teacher yelled down her microphone. Akane feared that yesterday's headache might come back again. They had to put up with this microphone far too much.

"Good morning, Miss," the class replied.

"_Now_, it's time to introduce our new _student_!"

Akane perked up, intrigued. _New student?_ she thought. _But __**I**__ showed up only last week..._

The teacher pointed dramatically at the door. "Please enter!"

Everyone was silent as the door slid open and a female figure stepped in, closing the door behind her. There were gasps from the males sitting closest to Akane as the girl walked over to the teacher's desk.

She didn't blame them. The first thing that anyone would notice about this girl was her crimson red hair – which was a very unusual colour in Nerima – that was tied into a pigtail. Once you got past _that_, your eyes travelled to her face, which was incredibly beautiful. As the girl stood by the teacher's desk and looked out at the class, Akane felt a small stab of jealousy. Who _was_ this girl? And why should _she_ be blessed with such angelic features? Akane realised that she was being petty, but the incident with Dr. Tofu had left a slight scar on her self-esteem.

"Hey," the girl said coolly.

A chorus of murmuring broke out around the classroom, but, unlike the week beforehand, Akane could hear what a few of them were saying.

"Oh, my God," one guy muttered, "she's gorgeous."

"What a sexy beast," another guy muttered with a growl. This caused Akane to shudder in disgust. "I'll take some of that _any_ day..."

_Great... _she thought, _more perverts..._ She suddenly felt sick at the thought.

"She's so pretty..." one girl muttered.

"I wish I had her hair..." another girl muttered.

The teacher dramatically pointed a finger at the red-haired girl. "This is Ranko Saotome!" she said, her eyes sparkling. That wasn't saying much, though, as Akane had seen the woman's eyes sparkle at Math problems. "She's a local girl..." The teacher flipped her fringe. "_But_, for the last month..." She leaned forward and bellowed into the microphone. "_She's been travelling around China_!"

"Ooh!" one guy muttered.

"Wow, China!" one girl muttered.

The teacher lowered her voice slightly. "Now..." She covered her eyes, as if shielding them from the sun, and Akane wondered if she did that _every_ time her class got a new student. "Ah!" She snapped her fingers. "There!" She pointed. "That seat by Akashi will do nicely!"

Akane nearly fell off her chair in shock. "_Huh_?" She looked to the side of her and saw that there was, indeed, an empty seat there. Honestly, she'd forgotten all about that.

"Sure thing, teach," Ranko replied. She then walked over her new desk, took off her book bag and sat down.

As Akane pulled herself back into a sitting position, she stared in intrigue at Ranko. The girl didn't seem to be the slightest bit phased about being greeted by a nutcase with a microphone. It was almost as if... she was _used_ to weird people... She also didn't look too happy, either. Maybe she was nervous, like Akane had been on _her_ first day? Or, maybe, she'd been _forced_ to come to school, when she really didn't want to? She shook it off and faced forward. It was none of her business, anyway.

* * *

Recess couldn't have come soon enough for Ranma. She'd never been fond of school the few times that she'd had to attend it and this one was no exception. Honestly, she'd never had much use for school, anyway. Since her number one goal in life was to take over the Saotome School Of Anything-Goes Martial Arts, she didn't really _need_ to learn any of these stupid subjects.

She watched as the guy next to her – called Akashi, if she remembered right – stood up and made his way across the room. Watching him, she noticed something odd about his face; it was strangely thin and delicate for a boy. She shook it off as nothing important and chuckled, wondering vaguely if Akashi had ever been teased for looking so feminine.

Two hands suddenly landed on her desk. "Hey, there!" a female voice said.

Ranma looked up and saw that the owner of the hands was a girl with long black hair and green eyes. She was smiling brightly, whilst being flanked by two other girls. One had long dark green hair tied into two ponytails and brown eyes and the other had shoulder-length dark brown hair and dark purple eyes.

"Hey," Ranma replied, suddenly feeling awkward.

She'd never been terribly good around girls. Their presence always made her feel nervous and that had only heightened after Shampoo had kissed her boy form on the lips. At the time, she'd been so stunned that her heart and brain had both malfunctioned at the same time.

"Ranko, wasn't it?"

"Uh, yeah..."

"Nice to meet you!" The girl lifted her hands off the desk and placed her wrists on her hips. "I can tell, just by _looking_ at you, that we're gonna be great friends!" She pointed to herself with her thumb. "I'm Reina." She pointed to the dark green-haired girl with her index finger. "That's Rin." She pointed to the dark brown-haired girl. "And that's Ruka."

Ranma nodded as Reina lowered her arm. "Nice to meet you all."

"So," Rin said, "you wanna hang out with us, Ranko?"

"Uh..." Ranma wasn't sure whether she was comfortable with that. She'd been hoping to find some guys to hang out with, instead, but, maybe, in her current form, this was a better option. "Okay, sure."

"Great!" Ruka replied.

"I knew you'd come round," Reina said. She then grabbed a recently-vacated chair, pulled it up to Ranma's desk and sat down on it. "Pull up some chairs, you two."

"Okay!" both Rin and Ruka replied as they pulled up their own chairs and sat down on them.

_Well... _Ranma thought, as she looked over the three pretty girls that were sitting around her, _this is weird..._

"We took an interest in you the moment we saw you," Reina explained with a light smirk. "Can you guess why?"

"Um... no."

"Well," Rin replied, "one reason is that you're really pretty."

Ranma's stomach churned. She honestly wasn't sure whether or not she was happy about that comment. "Uh, thanks..."

Reina nodded. "Mmm-hmm," she said, "I love your _hair_, personally."

"And I love your eyes!" Ruka said.

"But that's not the _only_ reason, is it, Reina?" Rin asked with a slight smirk.

Reina shook her head. "Not at all," she replied.

"Just think of our four names and you should get it, Ranko!" Ruka chirped happily.

_Our names?_ Ranma thought._ Let's see... Ranko... Reina... um... Rin... and Ruka... Ranko, Reina, Rin and Ruka..._ Her eyes widened in disbelief. "No way..." she said.

"That's right," Reina replied.

"All our names begin with 'R'!" Ruka added. "Isn't that cool?"

"_Very_ cool, I'd say," Rin replied.

_How strange,_ Ranma thought, as she smiled in amusement.

* * *

From the moment that she'd sat down, Akane had noticed something strange about Benjiro, Chikao and Daichi. All three of them had been staring mindlessly at Ranko. Only when the red-haired girl had been joined at her desk by three other girls did the boys turn away from her.

"That girl is so beautiful," Benjiro said dreamily. "I've never seen anything like her."

"Dude, she's hot," Chikao said, grinning. "I wonder what she looks like naked."

Akane bristled at that comment, but chose not to inflict pain on the guy, just in case it aroused suspicion about her.

"Yeah," Benjiro agreed, "seeing _that_ would be pretty cool." He looked at Daichi. "Wouldn't it, Daichi?"

Daichi had been staring down at the desk, so his head shot up at the mention of his name. "Huh? Oh..." He looked over at Ranko, then blushed. "Yeah... cool..."

Chikao leaned forward on the desk. "_I'd_ do her," he said. "What about _you_, Akashi?"

Akane was busy quietly fuming, so she jumped at the sound of her 'name'. "Me?" she asked. She took a moment to compose herself, then huffed in defiance. "Yeah, right. I'm not interested."

"_Not interested_?" all three boys asked in shock, as they leaned across the desk.

"You're kidding, right?" Benjiro asked.

Akane suddenly felt foolish. She'd only told the truth, but, maybe, she should have lied, instead. She wasn't going to change her story _now_, though. "No," she replied.

There was a pause. "Dude..." Chikao said, "are you gay, or something?"

Akane bristled again. Homosexuality was always a sensitive topic with her. She didn't know why. Maybe it was because she was fed up with male perverts and wanted to believe she could feel safe among females. Maybe she was afraid of how other people would treat her if they thought she was gay. Either way, there was no way she was allowing anyone to think her alter ego was some kind of pervert, so she went with the safest possible response.

"What? No!"

"You sure?" Daichi asked.

"Yes!"

All three boys leaned back in their chairs. "Okay, then," Benjiro replied. "So, who _do_ you like?"

Akane jumped again at the unexpected question. "Hmm?"

"Yeah," Chikao said, "there must be _someone_ you like the look of, right?" He waved his arm around the classroom. "Anyone you like in _here_?"

Akane groaned. _No,_ she thought, _the only person I like is Dr. Tofu._ "Not really..." She paused, realising her mistake. She quickly tried to fix it. "Give it time, though." She forced a smile. "I'm sure I'll find someone."

Benjiro smiled back at her. "Yeah, okay," he replied.

Akane was relieved. _Phew... safe..._

* * *

"So, then, Ranko," Reina said, smirking slightly as she placed her arms on the desk, "what do you think of Akashi?"

Ranma blinked in confusion. "Akashi?" she asked.

"Yeah," Rin said excitedly, "isn't he cute?"

Ranma looked at her, wondering if she was insane. "Uh..."

"Of _course_ she thinks he's cute!" Ruka said. "Who _doesn't_ think he's cute?"

"I wouldn't mind seeing him in the shower," Reina said.

Rin giggled. "Reina!" she admonished. "How bad!"

"Don't deny you wouldn't, either."

"He's so cute!" Ruka squeaked. "I wanna marry him."

Ranma sighed in irritation. She looked over at Akashi to see what the appeal was, but, when nothing struck her, she looked away again. "I really don't see it, to be honest," she said.

"_What_?" all three girls asked in shock, as they leaned across the desk.

"Honestly?" Reina asked.

Ranma shrugged, not caring in the least that they considered this weird. It was the truth, after all. She really _didn't_ find Akashi attractive. "Yeah," she replied.

There was a pause. "You're a lesbian, aren't you?" Rin asked.

"Yeah," Ruka agreed, "that must be it."

It took a lot to annoy Ranma, but this made her bristle. As a man among men, homosexuality was completely out of the question. If anyone ever got such an impression from his boy form, his reputation would be ruined. Anything involving his girl form utterly disgusted him, but he didn't want _that_ reputation ruined, either.

"No! Don't be stupid!"

All three girls leaned back in their chairs. "So, you _do_ like guys?" Reina asked.

_Damn..._ Ranma thought, thoroughly irritated that they'd backed her into a corner. Working her brain furiously, she came up with an excuse. She leaned back in her chair and smirked. "I just haven't seen anyone I like yet, is all."

"Ohhh," Rin replied, "okay."

Reina shrugged. "Alright, whatever," she said.

_Damn right, too,_ Ranma thought. Suddenly, a thought struck her. "You know," she said, "I'm surprised you three aren't _fighting_ over who should get Akashi."

The three girls looked at each other, then there was a pause. Ranma was starting to wonder whether she'd said the wrong thing when all three burst out laughing.

"Interesting thought there, Ranko," Reina said.

"Fight over him!" Ruka said.

"Yeah, right," Rin added.

Eventually, they calmed down. "No, we're _above_ that, Ranko," Reina explained. "The three of us have been friends for _years_..."

"Yeah!" Ruka agreed. "And we've always shared the same taste in boys, anyway!"

Rin shrugged. "It's kinda pointless fighting, you know?" she said.

Ranma was genuinely amazed. In all her travels, she'd never come across a group of people that were so selfless towards one another, especially since they all shared the same love interest. She smiled, pleased with the new friends that she'd made after so long on the road. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad settling down, after all.


	4. On The Home Stretch

Author's note: Hello again! Well, I hope you're enjoying this AU. It's quite fun to write. Look forward to the antics of next chapter, where this thing really kicks off!

**Chapter Four: On The Home Stretch**

Nabiki Tendo sipped her cup of coffee, smirking over the rim of it at Tatewaki; so it had come to this, at last. It was a shame, really; she'd been enjoying the little thread of lies that she'd been not only spreading, but making money off. It wasn't often that she lied – as she liked to run a reliable business with her clients – but Akane had begged, pleaded and paid her wads of yen in the past week to tell Tatewaki that the reason she wasn't coming to school was because she was sick. Since Tatewaki _wasn't_ paying her for the false information, she wasn't feeling terribly guilty about it.

However, lately, he was starting to get frantic. He'd spent far too long not getting to fight with and admire his love interest, so he'd said that he was planning on visiting her at her house. This had posed a massive problem, as Akane had still been on the bus when Furinkan High was let out for the day, meaning that she would come home, dressed in a boy's uniform, and her cover would be blown. Therefore, Nabiki had decided to grant him some 'valuable information' about his beloved, but only if he took her to her favourite Western-style café and paid for everything that she ordered.

"Nabiki Tendo..." Tatewaki said, leaning across the table, "wilt thou _now_ tell me why thou haft kept me from my beloved Akane Tendo?"

Nabiki loved watching people beg; it gave her so much power over them. Taking her sweet time, she took another sip and slowly placed the cup back on its saucer.

"Alright, listen, Kuno-baby..." she replied, "the truth of the matter is that Akane hasn't been sick."

Tatewaki jumped back in horror. "_What_? Akane Tendo is _well_?" He slammed his arms on the table. "Then why hast thou spun such a web of lies? Speak!"

Unfazed by his crazy antics, she paused a moment. "Buy me some spaghetti and, _maybe_, we'll talk."

He glowered at her. "And you call yourself a human being..."

She smiled. "I try."

Sometime later, she was twirling bolognaise-stained spaghetti around a fork. The whole time it had taken for this dish to arrive, Tatewaki had been impatiently tapping his fingernails on the table. Now, however, he was staring intently at her. As she thought about how differently such behaviour would affect her two sisters, she couldn't help but feel amused. It would take much more than _this_ to bother Nabiki Tendo.

"_Well_?"

She took her time eating the roll of spaghetti, just to frustrate him. It was honestly laughable how easy it was to frustrate him. Once she swallowed it, she cleaned her mouth with a napkin.

"Akane has transferred to a different school."

"She's _what_?"

Tatewaki's fist slammed the table, making her meatballs bounce a couple of centimeters in the air.

She smirked at him. "That's right, Kuno-baby... she's not simply taking time off... she's left Furinkan High."

He grabbed his head. "This... this cannot _be_!" His arms slammed on the table, making the meatballs bounce again. "What manner of trickery is _this_? Who has forced my beloved to part with me? _Tell_ me, Nabiki Tendo!"

She calmly stuck her fork into a meatball and lifted it to her mouth. "Cake." She ate the meatball.

A while later, after forcing Tatewaki through an agonising wait, while she ate her spaghetti and he ordered some cake for her, she glanced at her watch. Yep, she'd delayed enough; Akane should be home and changed by now.

Smirking, she swallowed the piece of cake that she'd been chewing. "Here's the deal... Akane was fed up with you and all the other jocks trying to beat her up every day. I mean, is that any way to get a boyfriend? I'd hate guys, too, if I were her... so she transferred to another school."

Tatewaki was silent for a few moments. Nabiki blinked, wondering if she'd broken him, when he suddenly smirked.

"Hmph... poor, naïve Nabiki Tendo... to think that ye know so little of the love of Akane Tendo and I... Alas! Were your statement possible, I should be inclined to believe it, _but_ it cannot be so. Akane Tendo, 'fed up' with the great Tatewaki Kuno, Blue Thunder of Furinkan High? Surely, you jest. No..." He clenched his fists and gained a strange fire in his eyes. "My beloved's father is a foul sorceror, who wishes to keep us from becoming _one_! Wicked, wicked man! Fear not, Akane Tendo, I shall rescue you!"

Nabiki lowered her eyelids at him. Maybe she'd delayed that last bit of information a bit _too_ much; in that time, his brain seemed to have come up with the strangest of explanations and, now, he was away with the fairies. It was beyond useless to try to pull him out of his fantasy land, so she didn't even try. She simply continued eating her free cake.

* * *

Akane always loved getting home and changing back into her girlish clothes. She was, of course, getting used to dressing like a boy, but her years of trying to impress Dr. Tofu had led to her become quite fond of skirts and dresses. Not to mention, it was a huge relief to be able to take off her uncomfortably tight chest bindings.

Currently, she was kneeling at the low table and watching a game show on television. Her eldest sister was watching it with her, while her father paced anxiously up and down the hallway. Strangely, her middle sister had yet to come home from school, but, unlike her father, she wasn't worried; she knew that Nabiki was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. If anyone bothered her, they'd likely end up both dirt-poor _and_ in debt before trying anything.

"So, is everything going well at school, Akane?" Kasumi asked.

Akane turned to her. "Yeah, it's fine," she replied. "We got a new student today, called Ranko."

"Oh, really? What's she like?"

Akane shrugged. "Not sure. I didn't talk to her. The most striking thing about her was her bright red hair."

Kasumi smiled brightly. "Oh, my... what an interesting hair colour."

"No kidding."

"And what about your classes?"

"They're alright. It can be annoying, listening to a microphone all day, but I think I'm doing okay."

"Well, that's good."

Akane looked down. "It's a shame about gym class, though..."

Kasumi's tone became sympathetic. "Oh, yes... you used to love gym class, didn't you?"

"Yeah... It's also pretty embarrassing that Dad told the principal I'm 'frail with ill health', just to get me out of it... Can't believe he bought it, either..." She sighed. "Sometimes, I wish I could actually turn _into_ a boy... then I could do gym without all these problems..."

"Oh, Akane..."

Suddenly, there was a loud bang, which made Akane jump. She spun to face the direction of the front door, to see what had caused the noise.

There was a thundering of footsteps. "Akane Tendo, my love!" a familiar voice called out.

Akane paled. "Aw, crap..."

Tatewaki burst into the room. "Akane Ten-!" He paused, staring at her. She stared back, utterly horrified that he'd bursted into her house to find her. He was silent for a few moments before screaming in horror. "Akane Tendo, could that be _you_? Your... your hair..." His fingers twitched in her direction.

"I'm home!" Nabiki's voice called out.

"Nabiki!" Soun's voice cried. "Oh, Nabiki, you're alright! Where have you been? You could have _told_ your father you'd be home late!"

"Don't fret over it, Daddy."

As Soun and Nabiki walked into the living room together, Tatewaki whirled in their direction, whipping his wooden sword from his belt and pointing it at Soun. Soun jumped back in surprise.

"Fiend!" Tatewaki called out. "Cretin! Not only have you attempted to come between my beloved and I, by forcing her to change schools, but you butcher her luscious locks of divine beauty? Are there no lows to which you will not sink?"

"But..." Soun replied, clearly flabbergasted, "I..."

"Now, Kuno-baby..." Nabiki said calmly, while folding her arms.

Akane touched her short dark blue locks, not quite sure what to say; Tatewaki had finally seen her with her new hairstyle. Not only that, but he seemed to know about her school situation. She was willing to bet Nabiki was behind that. She clenched her fist in annoyance. After all the effort and money she'd put into keeping her sister quiet, she'd finally told him. She felt a strong sense of betrayal, mixed in with the fury.

"Now, see here!" Soun said, seeming to gain some of his courage back.

"En garde!" Tatewaki yelled before jabbing his wooden sword thirteen times at lightning speed. "Dadadadadadadadadadadada!"

Crying out in pain, Soun flew out the door and crashed into the wall in the hallway. Leaving a huge dent, he slid down the wall and landed on his rear with a groan.

Horror replacing her anger, Akane jumped to her feet. "Dad!" she cried.

"Oh, my..." Kasumi said from nearby.

Tatewaki smirked, resting the wooden sword on his shoulder. "Hmph... that is what you get, foul sorcerer, for attempting to come between me and the beauteous Akane Tendo... for none can stop the power of love!" He cackled.

Infuriated, Akane stomped over to him. "Kuno..." she said threateningly.

He turned to her, arms open wide, with a huge smile on his face. "My beloved! Although thou hast lost thine locks of beauty, our love shall not-"

She kicked him upwards, with as much force as she could muster. He crashed through the ceiling and flew away. "You jerk!"

* * *

Ranma, male and dressed in his favourite Chinese clothes, sighed as he tried to watch a comedy show on television. He'd only spent one day at school as a girl so far and, already, his father was kicking up a fuss over it. It wasn't as if he was _enjoying_ his new lot in life, but Genma seemed to be starting to think otherwise.

"I can't simply sit back and allow this to happen, Nodoka!" Genma yelled. "You're _poisoning_ the boy!"

"This is for his own good, Genma," Nodoka replied calmly. "You know that."

"No, it is _not_ for his own good! I did _not_ raise him to be a man among men, only for him to hide from his problems as a girl!"

"... I think you're forgetting, Genma, that it was _your_ fault that he's now a girl at all."

Genma spluttered. "Bu-But... Nodoka!"

"I just want my son to be safe. You should at least understand _that_, considering you've kept him from me for fourteen years."

"But... But..." Genma suddenly regained his composure. "Making him go to school as a girl is going too far! The boy is strong enough to handle himself, should anything happen! _I_ should know, since I _trained_ him!"

"Genma... while I respect what you say, my reasons for my decision have already been clearly stated. Ranma is going to school as Ranko. End of discussion." The gentle footfalls of her sandals began to leave the room.

"Nodoka!" There were a few moments of silence. "Ranma!"

"What, Pop?" Ranma asked lazily, not really caring what his father had to say.

"I can already see that she's poisoning you. You actually _like_ being a girl, _don't_ you?"

Ranma ignored him, but, a moment later, cold water splashed over his head. "Urgh!" He spluttered as he felt himself shrink by a head, growing curves and a large chest. The bangs in front of his eyes turned crimson red.

"You _like_ this form, _don't_ you?" Genma burst into tears. "Oh, my pathetic son... becoming a woman among women!"

Ranma shook herself dry and glared daggers at her father. "Oh, come _on_, old man! I think you're getting a bit touchy over this! You actually think I _like_ being a girl?"

"You've agreed to go to school as one! Wearing a sailor uniform, no less! My boy, you're about as unmanly as they _come_ right now!"

Ranma growled, pissed off that a) her comedy show had been disturbed, b) her father had thrown cold water on her and c) said father was accusing her of _enjoying_ being a girl.

"That's it, old man!" She jumped to her feet. "You're getting an ass-kicking!"

Genma wiped his eyes dry and got into a fighting stance. "Bring it on, girly boy!"

Infuriated, Ranma let out a battle cry and lunged at him. Jumping into the air, she touched down on the table and launched herself off it. Swinging her leg, she kicked him across the face, sending him flying across the room and crashing into the wall.

Ranma landed gracefully on her feet and smirked, wrists on her hips. "Heh! What was that you were saying, Pop?"

Genma growled, glaring daggers at her. "Disrespectful son of mine..." He pulled himself out of the wall, leaving a sizeable dent behind, and stood up straight. "Attacking your own father!"

Ranma lowered her eyelids, unimpressed. "Gimme a break, Pop... You gotta admit, you're not much of a father, as fathers go."

"Insolent boy!"

Genma charged, trying to punch his son-turned-daughter, but Ranma dodged. He attempted this again, but was again dodged. This continued for a while, until Ranma eventually got bored of her father's lack of a challenge. Deciding to change the direction of the fight, she caught his fist in her palm, as it came to strike her. When he swung his other fist, she also caught that one. Growling again, Genma pushed his fists against her palms. Ranma pushed back, determined to gain dominance, just as she knew Genma was doing. The two of them pushed against each other so hard that their arms began swinging wildly up and down. When one side went up, the other side went down, and, again, this continued for a while.

_Stupid old man!_ Ranma thought, swinging her leg.

Genma lifted his own leg and blocked it. "You'll have to do better that that, _girl_..."

Ranma gritted her teeth, her blood boiling; calling her 'girl' was the last straw. "Alright, that's it! You're going _down_!"

Immediately, she let go of his fists, which caught him by surprise and made him wobble off-balance. She took this moment to drop to the floor and ready a new stance. Once in the right position, she swung her leg and swooped his feet out from under him. The man fell backwards and landed painfully on his back. Flipping backwards, Ranma catapulted herself off her hands, somersaulted and landed on her feet again.

"Urgh..."

She grinned tightly, still in a bad mood from his earlier comment. "Don't _ever_ call me 'girl' again. Got it, old man?"

"Ranma..."

Genma tried to get to his feet, but his large size was making it rather difficult. Ranma smirked in satisfaction. Walking over to him, she knelt down, hefted him up by the back of his gi with one hand and dragged him into the kitchen.

"Time to bring in the circus..."

With her free hand, she turned on the cold water tap, picked up a glass and filled it up, then poured it over Genma's head. He instantly grew to twice his size, black and white fur covering his body. Ranma put down the glass and turned off the tap, then lifted Genma up and booted him out the kitchen door, where he crashed into the wall in the hallway. Now the house had _two_ Genma dents in it, one for each form. Ranma smirked happily, quite pleased with her handiwork.

"What on Earth is going on in here?" Nodoka's voice asked from outside.

Ranma paused, slightly worried. _Aw, crap... maybe I should've been a bit more considerate about Mom's home..._

"Genma?" A low grunt came from the panda that was embedded in the wall. "What happened?"

Ranma sighed, wondering if her mother would punish her for hurting her father. Who knows? She must have loved the guy, if she'd gone out of her way to marry him and have a son with him... She cringed at the thought; why the hell would anyone want to marry Genma, of all people? She was sure the woman deserved much better...

_Ah, well..._ she thought, trudging out of the kitchen.

Nodoka looked up at her with a confused expression. "Ranma?"

"Mom... before you say anything..." She pointed at the panda. "He deserved that." Nodoka was silent as she looked back at Genma. Ranma lowered her arm. "Mom?"

Nodoka looked back at Ranma. "My, Ranma... you've given your father quite a pounding, haven't you?"

Ranma wasn't quite sure what to say to that. "Uh..."

"And look at my wall... It has a huge dent in it, now..."

Ranma suddenly felt embarrassed. "Yeah, um... there's another one in the living room... Sorry, Mom..."

Nodoka smiled. "Oh, don't worry, Ranma! It only means that you're a very strong young man! And Heaven knows your father does deserve all he gets. Besides, it'll be easy enough for me to call a contractor, to get that fixed."

Ranma stared in amazement; she had the best mother in the world.

* * *

Akane sighed to herself, as she climbed into bed; for all the scolding that she'd given Nabiki today, for selling her out, it didn't change the fact that Tatewaki Kuno now knew her secret. True, Nabiki hadn't told him exactly _which_ school she went to, or that she attended that school as a _boy_... but he _did_ know that she wasn't sick. To think, she'd paid all that yen for nothing, in the end!

Well... if she was honest, he would have ended up finding out eventually. That was just the kind of guy he was; an obsessive fanboy, who was persistent as hell. It wasn't as though she could have kept using the 'sick' excuse forever, anyway. It was just a pity that he had to find out the truth sooner, rather than later. It had only been a week, for crying out loud! Was he really that desperate to see her?

She groaned, rolling over; yes, he _was_ that desperate. He'd _always_ been that desperate. He was one of the main reasons that she'd wanted to get _away_ from Furinkan High and everything in it. _He'd_ been the one to arrange that stupid contest... _he'd_ been the one who'd thought that she'd not only enjoy the fighting, but accept a date from whichever idiot managed to beat her... and _he_ was the one who couldn't, and wouldn't, take no for an answer!

She scowled to herself, feeling a growing need to imagine his face on something and punch it; that idiot was so narcissistic. He was so in love with himself that he couldn't see that she really didn't like him! He was always stalking her and grabbing her. God, it made her so mad, just thinking about it!

She thrust out her fist and punched her desk, barely feeling any pain as her lamp fell off the side and crashed to the ground. Fortunately, it didn't break. This was good, because she needed that lamp for late night studying. Kasumi had really known what she'd been doing, when she'd bought the sturdiest lamp available. Closing her eyes, she tried to get some sleep.


	5. Confrontation

Author's note: Hey there! Well, we're finally here. The sit-up-and-take-notice chapter. I hope you enjoy it!

Also, the teacher and principle have finally been named! The teacher's name (Sachiko Kawaguchi) means 'child of bliss/happiness, river mouth'... and the principle's name (Masato Wakahisa) means 'justice, forever young'.

A big thank you to Angela Jewell for the surnames. :)

P.S. A couple of critisisms that were brought to my attention made me decide to alter the dialogue slightly. Hopefully, it's now more in-character. :P

**Chapter Five: Confrontation**

Ranma, now female and heading for school at a brisk walk, stared at the sky. It was only her second day doing this whole charade. How long would it last? Probably as long as Shampoo and Ukyo remained on the hunt for her male form. She sighed.

Suddenly, something crashed into her. Recovering from being dazed, she scowled at the man, who turned out to be a wandering sweets salesman pushing a trolley.

"Hey!" she snapped. "Watch where-!"

"Oh, I'm so sorry, miss!" the man cried.

Confused, Ranma relaxed her fighting stance. "Huh? Oh. No problem."

The man smiled. "My, you're a pretty young thing, aren't you?"

Ranma felt her stomach churn, but tried to ignore it. She smiled back. "Oh, well... I don't know about that..."

Why she was acting girly, she really didn't know. She figured it was the hormones again and suppressed a shudder.

"Oh, but you _are_! In fact, is there anything I can do to make up for bumping into you?"

Ranma was about to rebuff him, before she noticed the sweets on the trolley. "Well... that pack of baked sea bream looks good…"

"Oh, you like baked sea bream? Well, would you like some? It's three hundred yen for a pack of three! Red bean paste, chocolate and cheese, all in one!"

She had to admit, that was pretty cheap, but she hadn't brought any money out with her today. She stared longingly at the snack. It just looked so tasty.

She looked up at him with sad eyes. "I'm sorry, mister, but I can't afford it..."

The man blinked, then gave her a sympathetic look. "Aww..."

"I'll just get to school..." She walked past him, head down. "I'm gonna be late..."

"Aww, miss..."

"I'd buy it if I could, but I can't afford it..."

"... Alright then, you can have it for free."

Ranma stopped dead in her tracks and spun to face the man. "What?"

The man beamed and handed her the pack. "Here. It's yours. A tasty gift for a cute girl!"

She stared in wonder at the baked sea bream, then beamed back at the man. "Hey, thanks!"

"No problem, miss!"

* * *

Almost to school, Ranma glanced at the book bag on her back, which held her free food. Was that guy just really nice? No, he was originally going to charge her... so what had made him change his mind?

"_A tasty gift for a cute girl!"_

Could it be that he had a crush on her female form? She shuddered. The mere thought disgusted her. Then again, he gave her _free food_ because of this 'crush', or whatever it was. True, the loss of three hundred yen wouldn't have set him back by much, but the sight of female Ranma, helpless with no loose change, was enough to make him give it to her for free.

Did her girl form really have that much power over guys? Or was it just that one guy? And that was when she wasn't even trying... so what would happen if she actually _did_ try? Being a guy herself, she knew just what kinds of weaknesses guys had. She didn't have any of her _own_, of course. Hell no. But could she use her girl form as a gift, instead of a curse? Could she exploit weaknesses and get anything she wanted, if she truly tried?

She smirked as she walked through the gate, which closed behind her; only one way to find out...

* * *

Akane sat uncomfortably in her chair, glancing out the window every few seconds. Ever since Tatewaki had barged into her house the previous night, she'd been paranoid about him finding out about her new school and cross-dressing habit. Honestly, she wouldn't put it past the guy to wake up early and follow her all the way across town.

She looked out the window again. There was still no sign of him and that _should_ have made her feel better, but she couldn't help thinking that he was going to jump out of nowhere and start fighting the teacher over her 'release'. The guy had a strange tendency to do that sometimes and, again, she wouldn't put it past him.

After a few moments, she heard the chair next to hers being pulled out. Looking away from the window, she saw Ranko put away her book bag and sit down. Well, maybe Tatewaki _wouldn't_ show up. Maybe she was just being silly over the whole thing. She had a right to be paranoid about it, but Tatewaki _was_ pretty stupid. There was little chance that he could follow her all the way here. Finally relaxing a little, she faced the front of the classroom.

* * *

After the morning lessons were over, it was finally time for recess. Ranma was grateful for this. It was only her second day at this school and, already, her ears were ringing from the accursed microphone. She wasn't Ranma Saotome for nothing, however. She was tough and had handled much worse in her life.

"Hey! Ranko!" a female voice called out. She looked across the classroom to see Reina waving at her. Rin and Ruka were pulling up chairs around her desk. "Sit over here, okay?"

"Kay!" she replied.

Getting up from her seat, she almost bumped into Akashi, who was heading for his own group of friends.

"Oh, sorry," he said, maneuvering around her.

Ignoring this, Ranma headed across the room and pulled up a chair at Reina's desk.

"Hey, girls."

"Hi, Ranko!" Ruka said cheerfully.

"You enjoying school so far?" Rin asked.

Ranma shrugged. "Eh, it's okay," she replied.

Reina smirked. "Well, that's better than nothing, right?" she said.

"True enough!" Ruka replied.

"Well, I personally _love_ this school," Rin said with a bright smile. "Its great books, its great resources, its cool teachers..."

Ruka bounced up and down in her chair. "Its cute uniforms!

Reina leaned her head on her wrist. "Its cute boys," she said.

Rin mock-frowned at her, still smiling. "Reina!" she cried.

Ruka giggled. "Reina's such a naughty girl!" she said.

"Hey," Reina replied with a mock-shrug, "I can't help it if I'm into boys." She gently elbowed Ranma. "Right, Ranko?"

"Heh..." Ranma replied awkwardly, wondering how Reina would react if she knew that _she_ was a boy... and a very good-looking one, at that. "Whatever floats your boat, Reina."

Reina winked at her. "Damn straight."

"Well, I agree on the teachers!" Ruka said, beaming. "They're generally pretty cool."

Ranma smirked. "What," she replied, "even Little Miss Microphone?"

Ruka giggled. "Heyyy... don't be mean to Miss Sachiko!"

"Yeah," Reina replied with a smirk of her own, "what if she heard you? Would you _want_ old Kawaguchi's bellowing voice down your ear? She gets much louder when she's angry, you know."

Rin chuckled. "Reina..." she chastised, "don't be disrespectful. It's 'Miss Sachiko'."

"I also think Principal Wakahisa's really cool!" Ruka said. "He uses words like 'radical' a lot!"

"Yeah," Reina replied, "that guy's a bit of a loon. Not to mention really outdated. His given name is 'Masato', right? I think I heard Kawaguchi call him that once."

"Oh, Reina..." Rin said, shaking her head with a smile.

Ranma remained amused throughout the entire conversation. She was getting to know these three strangely well after only two days and was actually glad to be part of their strange little group.

* * *

Eventually, after some more lessons delivered through the same accursed microphone, it was lunchtime. Ranma's stomach grumbled at the thought. She couldn't wait to tuck into the lunch that her mother had made her, not to mention the pack of free baked sea bream from that morning.

Pulling the items out of her book bag, she rose from her seat and crossed the room, where she planned to sit with Reina, Rin and Ruka again. She was sure they wouldn't mind and, if they did, she'd simply sit somewhere else. No big deal. It's not like she cared...

On the way there, she passed the table of a boy with light brown hair that dangled past his ears. Glancing over his shoulder in curiosity, she halted at the sight before her. Octopus puffs. This guy had octopus puffs... covered in seaweed. She practically drooled at the thought of how those would taste, rolling around her mouth. How long had it been since she'd last had those? Far too long. What was it her mother had packed for her again? Sweet grilled chicken, rice and vegetables. That was all fine and dandy, but... She stared at his delicious snack, ignoring everything else that was in his lunchbox.

"Hey! Ranko!" Reina's voice called over. She snapped out of her trance and looked over at the dark-haired girl. "You coming or what?"

"Uh... yeah!" she replied, quickly scrambling over to Reina's desk.

* * *

Akane, now seated at Benjiro's desk, opened her lunchbox to find a delicious meal of broiled beef, egg, rice and vegetables. Her mouth watered. If there was one thing that Kasumi was best at, it was cooking. The eldest Tendo was good at a lot of things, but cooking almost certainly came out on top.

She looked up as Daichi came to sit beside her, staring off into space with a goofy smile. His behaviour peaked her curiosity, but also concerned her somewhat.

"Daichi?" she asked. "You okay?"

"Hmm?" he replied, slowly turning to look at her.

"Yeah, you seem pretty out of it," Benjiro said.

Daichi looked down at the table. "A minute ago, when I was checking what lunch my dad had made me... _she_ stopped to have a look."

"She?" Akane asked.

"... Oh, wow," Chikao said, "you don't mean... _her_?"

Benjiro leaned forward, almost planting his elbow in his lunch. "Ranko stopped by your desk?" he asked.

Daichi nodded, a light blush on his face. "Yeah," he replied softly. "Dude, she was right behind me."

_Oh, brother..._ Akane thought, wondering if all boys in the world were obsessed with girls. She paused as she thought of something. "Wait, how did you know she was right behind you?" she asked.

"Well, I saw her coming out of the corner of my eye and... didn't see her move away for a bit."

Chikao chuckled. "Yeah," he said, "kinda hard _not_ to see that bright red hair... or that gorgeous bod."

Akane scowled at the perverted comment, but didn't say anything.

"So," Benjiro said, "what was she looking at, do you think?"

"I'm not sure," Daichi replied.

Chikao smirked. "Don't go saying she likes you," he said, "'cause I got dibs on her, man."

Akane rolled her eyes. _Boys..._ she thought.

* * *

Ranma simply couldn't keep her eyes off the boy with light brown hair all the time that he was talking to his friends. The thought of those delicious, succulent octopus puffs simply would not leave her mind. She just had to have them... but how on Earth would she get them? She couldn't just ask for them. There was no way he'd agree to that. They were _his_, after all, and people didn't give things away for free.

"_A tasty gift for a cute girl!"_

She paused, her eyes widening, as she remembered this statement, then glanced over at Reina, who was checking her reflection in a compact mirror. The angle was just far enough to one side that she could see her own red-haired reflection. Well, heck, she supposed she _was_ pretty cute. Guy or not, she could see why her female form had attracted that salesman. It was about as feminine as a curse form could get.

Looking back at the boy with the octopus puffs, she squinted to get a closer look and noticed that he hadn't eaten them yet. He was too busy eating his rice.

_Hmm..._ she thought, _maybe __**now's**__ the perfect time to find out just how far my feminine charms can take me..._ She smirked. "Hey, girls?" she said. "Pardon me for a sec." She stood up. "I'll be right back."

"Oh, okay, Ranko," Rin replied.

"Hurry back!" Ruka said.

* * *

Akane was just eating her broiled beef when she spotted a familiar figure walking over. She blinked, curious as to why Ranko, of all people, would be approaching Benjiro's desk.

"Hi there!" the red-head said in a sickly sweet voice, planting her hands on Daichi's shoulders. The boy froze in shock.

"Who-Who's that?" he asked.

Ranko giggled. "You silly! It's the new girl, Ranko!"

"R... Ranko?" He slowly turned to look at her, his face burning crimson.

Ranko grabbed him arm and dragged him out of his chair. "Can I talk to you for a minute over here?" She began pulling him away. "Thanks!"

Akane blinked once, twice, then narrowed her eyes. What in the world was that girl up to? She didn't trust that sweet grin on her face, particularly since she hadn't seen it on the red-head before. Her behaviour now was entirely too suspicious.

"Lucky cad," Benjiro said, smirking.

"Damn it, Daichi..." Chikao grumbled, munching on his pickles.

Akane stood up, all too curious about what was going on. "Back in a sec, guys," she said before creeping around the classroom.

Once she was close enough, she knelt down behind a currently empty desk and listened to their conversation.

"So, uh..." Daichi said awkwardly, "what's up, Ranko?"

Ranko giggled, striking a very feminine pose while rocking back and forth. "Well," she said, "um..." She paused. "What was your name again?"

"Daichi."

"Well, Daichi... I couldn't help notice that you had some _delicious_ octopus puffs in your lunchbox!" She batted her eyelashes at him. "And I was wondering if I could have them."

Akane's eyes widened. _She can't be serious!_ she thought.

Daichi blinked in confusion. "Huh?" he asked. "Well..."

"Pretty pleeeease? I really love octopus puffs and I haven't had them in _years_!" She paused again for a moment, then clasped her hands together and stared deep into his eyes. "Pwetty pwease wid a chewwy on top?"

Daichi's face exploded in a blush. "Oh, well, uh... s-sure! You can have 'em! Sure!"

Akane scowled. So the new girl was going to be a hussy and mess around with her friend? Well, if she seriously thought that, then she had another thing coming.

"Yay! Oh, thank you, thank you!" She paused again, then wrapped her arms around his neck and batted her eyelashes again. Her chest pressed up rather tightly against his upper body. "You little cutie. You're so nice."

Daichi was practically hyperventilating and Akane was now seething. That hussy! Not only was she playing with Daichi's head and stringing him along just for some measly octopus puffs, but she had to act like a whore while doing it! Did she have _no_ feminine modesty or dignity?

She snapped. Standing up, she glared daggers at Ranko. "Just _what_ do you think you're _doing_?" she yelled. The entire classroom went quiet, but she was far too angry to care.

Ranko looked at her, releasing Daichi. "Akashi?"

"How _dare_ you do that to Daichi! Do you have _no_ shame?"

Ranko lowered her eyelids in annoyance. "Huh. What do _you_ know?" She placed her wrists on her hips. "You got no right buttin' in. This is between me and Daichi."

"All that for some stupid octopus puffs?" Akane ground her fists and jaw together. "Just for _them_, you're willing to... to... whore yourself _out_?"

Ranko scowled. "Hey, you know nothing about me, so don't go saying stupid things like that!" She turned her nose up. "You're probably just jealous that I'm so damn gorgeous, you butt-ugly femboy!"

Akane twitched, her fury increasing ten-fold. "Butt... ugly...?"

She cackled. "You only _wish_ you could score as well as I can." She folded her arms behind her head. "Not to mention..." She walked away from Daichi and past Akane. "You're jealous that old Daichi-boy had me all over _him_, instead of _you_... but I don't go for guys with monkey butts for faces." She cackled again.

Battle aura surged through Akane's veins like fire. She dared to insult her looks? In the lowest possible manner? Especially after her pride had taken such a hit from Dr. Tofu? No one had _ever_ said such things about her and she was going to make Ranko pay _dearly_ for being the first. She picked up the nearest desk, hefted it above her head and followed the girl across the classroom.

"Uh... Ranko?" Reina said.

"Hmm?" Ranko replied, stopping to listen to her friend.

"Ranko, you _bitch_!" Akane yelled, slamming the desk on top of the red-head.

"Argh!"

Ranko landed face-down on the floor, the desk completely flattening her and knocking her unconscious. Akane panted, happy to have vented some of her anger, but still pissed off as hell. How _dare_ that bitch call her butt-ugly! She was _not_! Why the hell would the guys at Furinkan High have all pined over her daily if she _was_?

After a few moments of deathly silence, frantic whispering broke out in the classroom.

"Did you see that?"

"Wow, Akashi's sure got a temper!"

"Poor Ranko..."

"I had no idea he was a wife-beater!"

Akane froze at this last statement. A wife-beater? _That's_ what they thought of her? She turned to the crowd. "Hey!" she called out, though her voice cracked. "_She_ was the one who..."

"Mr. Tendo is a _wife-beater_!" Miss Sachiko yelled down her microphone, much louder than usual. Akane cringed at the noise. "I think _someone_ needs to stand in the hall! Someone else, take Miss Saotome to the nurse's office! _On the double_!"

The crowd slowly backed away from Akane, whispering the phrase 'wife-beater' over and over again, while Reina, Rin and Ruka rushed over to Ranko. Akane groaned, turning away from everyone and heading outside to hold her punishment buckets. Great... it just figured that her belief that it was perfectly fine for girls to hit boys, but a crime for boys to hit girls would come to bite her in the ass. What would happen when Ranko woke up was anyone's guess... but if the bitch insulted her again, there were plenty more desks to crush her with.


	6. Showdown

Author's note: Hello!

Well, before we get on with the chapter, I'd just like to say: thank you for the criticisms. If you don't already know, the confrontation last chapter was edited a little to make it more believable. If you haven't already seen it, please go check it out.

I'm willing to admit that the characterisation slipped a bit. I blame reading too much of a certain Akane-bashing fic that I shall not mention by name. :P

Anyway, on with the chapter!

**Chapter Six: Showdown**

Ranma blearily opened her eyes. Where was she? She was lying on something that wasn't particularly soft. She could also feel a warmth around her body and a coolness on the back on her head.

"I still can't believe he did that," a voice said thoughtfully. It was oddly familiar.

"I know," another voice replied. "I had no idea he had such a temper. Miss Sachiko was so mad at him."

"He looked so scary!" a third voice said. "His face was all contorted in fury!"

"Kawaguchi had a right to be mad at him..." the first voice said, "but did you hear the things Ranko _said_?"

"True..." the second voice replied, "she _was_ pretty ruthless."

"But Akashi _was_ mean first!" the third voice said.

Ranma snapped to attention at the mention of that name.

"Don't forget, though," the first voice said, "Ranko was doing something weird with Daichi first." Ranma groaned and sat up. "Oh, she's awake."

The coolness fell off Ranma's head and she noticed that it was a cloth. Cringing at the pain, she placed a hand on the back of her head.

"Are you okay, Ranko?" the second voice asked.

Ranma rolled over and looked up, noticing that Reina, Rin and Ruka were sitting around her. So that was who the voices had been. It was at that moment that she noticed she was in the nurse's office. Had she really been hit so hard that she'd ended up unconscious?

"Akashi hit you pretty hard!" Ruka said.

Ranma stiffened; it was that name again.

Reina leaned her head on her hand and quirked an eyebrow. "Just what did you do to make him so mad, anyway?"

"Yeah," Rin added, "what were you saying to Daichi?"

Ranma looked down at the blanket that was covering her as she remembered what had happened. She'd been trying to get that guy – Daichi? – to give her his octopus puffs, then Akashi had yelled at her, she'd argued back and...

She scowled deeply. The bastard had hit her with a table. Girly femboy or not, he was going to pay for that! No guy made a fool of Ranma Saotome! She wasn't the heir to the Saotome School Of Anything-Goes Martial Arts for nothing! She wasn't about to let any guy beat her at the one thing she was best at!

She leapt out of bed, startling Reina, Rin and Ruka. "Where is he?" she demanded. "I've got a score to settle with that guy!"

They all blinked at him. "Who?" Reina asked. "Akashi?"

Ranma turned to her. "Who _else_?"

"Um..." Rin replied, "well, he should still be holding buckets." Ranma hurried out of the room. "Hey!"

"Ranko!" Ruka called out.

* * *

Akane continued glaring at the wall. She honestly couldn't believe this. Ranko had been the one to throw around insults, just to piss her off, and yet _she_ was the one holding buckets! So what if she'd knocked the girl unconscious? The bitch had deserved it. Not only had she insulted her, deeply wounding her pride, but she'd been stringing poor Daichi along. These were the first male friends that she'd ever had in her life, so she was rather protective of them, perverts or not.

Besides the buckets, everyone was now calling her a wife-beater, all because one guy had come up with the term and the rest had copied him. Honestly, _wife-beater_? She could hardly be called that. She wasn't _married_ to Ranko. She barely _knew_ her! The only thing that she _did_ know was that she hated her. They were just assuming that, since her male alter-ego had beaten up _one_ girl, 'he' must beat girls up generally, including any that 'he' planned to marry.

She huffed. _That's just stupid,_ she thought.

"_Hey, Akashi_!" a pissed-off voice called out.

"Hmm?" She spun her head to look down the corridor, only to see Ranko standing there, cracking her knuckles. Her three female friends were standing some distance behind her. Akane narrowed her eyes. "Oh, it's you."

Ranko smirked. "You and me have got a score to settle, pal."

Akane shifted the weight of the buckets and glared. "What's to settle? You deserved what you got, you know!"

"Hmph." She threw out her arms and clenched her fists. "No guy makes a fool of _me_!" She pointed at Akane. "I'm gonna make you pay for that!"

Akane's pride spiked. "Oh yeah?" She put the buckets on the floor and took up a fighting stance. "Well, come on, then!"

"Gladly." Ranko came rushing at her. "Hiiiiyah!"

Akane was shell-shocked. How the hell was that girl moving so fast? Before she could even blink, something collided with her face with the speed and power of a freight train. She was on the floor in seconds, knocking over one of the buckets and drenching her dark blue pants. The right side of her face was in agony.

She gently clutched at the sore spot, being careful not to press too hard. "Ow..."

"What was that?" a male voice from inside asked.

"I wanna see!" a female voice cried.

"Me, too!" another male voice replied.

There was a thundering of footsteps before the windows of the classroom slid open.

"Oh, my God!" one girl called out.

"Akashi!" another shrieked.

"Whoa..." one guy said, "did Ranko do that?"

"Huh..." Ranko said. Akane would recognise her voice anywhere. "I would have thought you'd be more of a challenge, Akashi."

"What's going on here?" a loud voice called out down a microphone.

Akane turned over to glare at Ranko, her face still hurting like hell. "Urgh..."

Ranko smirked at her. "But I guess not." She started laughing. "Not only are you a butt-ugly femboy, but you're a weakling, too!" She pulled down the skin of her eye and stuck out her tongue. "Nyeh!"

Akane fumed. Not only was Ranko insulting _her_ again, but her ability as a martial artist now, too? She wasn't about to stand for this.

Jumping to her feet, she charged at Ranko. "Just you wait, Ranko!" She skidded to a stop at the last second and swung out her leg, but Ranko jumped over it. This took her by surprise. "Wha-?"

She felt Ranko's hand push down on her head as the girl somersaulted over her. She froze in shock. Ranko wasn't just good, she was the best that she'd ever fought before.

"Whoa!" one guy cried. "Did you see that?"

"Ranko's awesome!" another said.

"You go, girl!" one girl said.

"Poor Akashi..." another said.

"What's happening?" Miss Sachiko called out down her microphone. "I can't see!"

"The wife-beater's getting his ass handed to him!" another guy said.

Growling in frustration at both the situation _and_ the comment, Akane spun to face the onlookers. "Enough with the wife-beater stuff, _okay_?" she snapped. The crowd flinched and shut up.

"I think I get it now," Ranko said.

Akane spun to scowl at the red-head. "What?"

"You're pathetically weak and use tables to compensate."

Akane's anger boiled over. She was so furious at that comment that she couldn't speak. "Urgh!"

Ranko smiled. "I'm right, aren't I? Tables are your strength." Her smile melted into a smirk. "That's probably why... " She slid into a fighting stance. "You can't handle..." She shot towards her again. "Attacks like this!"

Akane only had time to gasp before Ranko's foot caught her chin in a fierce uppercut. Before falling over, she cracked open her eyes to glare at the girl, but paused when she noticed something odd. It was then that her back collided painfully with the floor. God, now she was in serious pain all over.

Looking up, she tried to glare again, but paused when she saw that same peculiar sight; Ranko's leg was suspended in its high kick, the owner of the leg smirking victoriously, and, clearly visible underneath her skirt, was...

_Boxers?_ she thought, too stunned to speak. _She's wearing __**boxers**__?_

Ranko lowered her leg. "Heh... like I said..."

It took a few moments for Akane to regain her fury at being kicked around like a ragdoll and mocked for it. She gritted her teeth, then flinched at the pain.

Ranko put her hands on her hips. "Had enough now, femboy?"

Akane supposed that the nickname was supposed to annoy her. It didn't, with her actually being a girl and all, but it didn't have to. She was far too pissed off with everything else about the red-head for that stupid nickname to matter.

"Why, you..."

"You're way too easy, you know that?"

Akane stiffened. "What was that?"

Ranko, still smirking, folded her arms behind her head. "I said you're too easy. Fighting _babies_ would be harder than fighting _you_."

Akane gritted her teeth so hard, she thought they might break. Her jaw was also throbbing, but she was far too furious to care now. "_Excuse me_?"

Ranko turned around. "You heard me. Now, be a good little boy and get back to your buckets, okay? I have class to get to."

Her pride simply refused to let Ranko get away. "Hey, you! We're not finished yet!"

"Yes, we are. You're really not worth the effort."

Akane continued to seethe. This girl was making a mockery of the Tendo School Of Anything-Goes Martial Arts... and she was _not_ about to let her get away with it! Not by a long shot!

"Ooh..." one girl said, "Akashi looks mad..."

"No kidding," another replied. "If he fumes any longer, steam will come out of his ears."

"He's gonna blow a gasket!" one guy cried.

"Eh, I ain't worried," Ranko replied. "He's too weak to be of any real threat."

Unable to take any more, Akane looked around for something to throw at the red-head. Spotting the remaining bucket of water, she stood up and picked it up.

_I'll show __**her**__!_ she thought.

She tossed the water all over Ranko, completely drenching her and making her shriek in protest. Just for good measure, she threw the bucket too. It smacked her in the back of the head.

Ranko grabbed her head. "Ow!" She whirled to glare at Akane. "What'd you do _that_ for?"

"Why'd you _think_, you...? Huh?"

Akane stared in disbelief at the water-soaked girl in front of her. She honestly couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"... What? What are you staring at?"

Ranko was wearing a thin white shirt, that was now dripping wet, so it was only natural that she'd be able to see through it now, but...

Akane's eye and mouth both twitched in revolted shock. "You... you're not..."

Ranko blinked at her. "Hmm?"

She had a perfect view of the chest underneath her shirt. She pointed a shaky finger at her. "You're not..."

Ranko frowned. "I'm not _what_?"

"She's not wearing a bra!" one guy yelled.

Akane glanced over at the onlookers and saw that many of the girls looked horrified, whereas the guys were all staring. Benjiro's cheeks bore a light blush, Chikao was practically drooling and Daichi's face was bright red. A few of the guys even had nosebleeds.

She looked back at Ranko, who was looking down at her chest. After a few moments, the red-head looked back up again and shrugged. "So?" she asked.

"Urk!" Akane replied, startled. She couldn't believe this. The girl _knew_? She _knew_ that she was exposing her chest to the whole class and she didn't care? Her fury returned and she clenched her fist. "'So'? '_So_'? What do you _mean_ 'so'?"

Ranko put her hands back on her hips. "I don't get what you're so worked up about."

Akane growled. How stupid _was_ this girl? "It's not bad _enough_ that you're wearing _boxers_..."

"Boxers?" one girl asked.

"But you don't even have the decency to wear a _bra_?"

Ranko scowled deeper and walked over, until she was right in Akane's face. "Hey, what's it to _you_, anyway? It's nobody's business, but mine, what I like to wear. As long as I'm in uniform, what does it matter, huh?"

Akane scowled deeper. "You, you..."

As far as she was concerned, boys and girls were different species. Any girl who was fine with flashing her chest like a boy was an instant nemesis of hers. She raised her hand and slapped Ranko across the face.

There were a few moments of shocked silence, where Ranko held her cheek and stared at her. This was soon followed by a few gasps from the onlookers.

"Akashi!" one girl yelled.

"Ranko!" one guy cried.

"Fine..." Akane said, turning away from Ranko, "if you wanna be shameless, then go ahead. See if I care."

"... Hey, what's _with_ you, anyway? You're a guy!" Akane stopped where she was and stiffened. "Shouldn't you be _happy_ that you can see my chest? Not slapping me, like some _girl_?"

She turned to glare at the red-head, choosing her next words carefully. "Some of us have enough common sense to know that you're making a mockery of girls everywhere!"

Ranko blinked in confusion. "I'm what?"

Akane growled. "And the fact that you don't even know you're doing it is even worse!" She picked up the buckets, one at a time, and starting walking towards the bathroom. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to fill my buckets back up."

* * *

Akane stood over the sink, watching the cold water from the tap slowly fill her second bucket. Honestly, she really hated going to the boys' bathroom – as she'd seen far more than she ever would have liked in there in the past week – but it wasn't like she had a choice. If she ever dared to set foot in the girls' bathroom, she'd likely be labeled a pervert and pummeled to dust by girls who actually _valued_ their dignity and _had_ feminine modesty, crush or no crush.

Immediately thinking of Ranko, she tightened her grip on the sink. God, she hated that girl. Since the red-head was so much like a boy already, with her boxers and bare chest, she'd be willing to bet that she'd be perfectly comfortable with going to the toilet in the boys' bathroom.

Personally, she'd only just gotten used to it. She sure as hell couldn't use the urinals, not to mention didn't want to be anywhere near those who were using them, so she'd simply hide in a cubicle, use the toilet and wait until the other guys were gone.

Once the bucket was finally filled, she turned the tap off and hefted the bucket out of the sink. To be perfectly honest, she normally wouldn't mind the idea of being beaten in a fight by a girl. At least then it wouldn't be a boy. God, she didn't think she'd be able to stand the thought of being beaten by a boy.

This was Ranko Saotome that she was talking about, though. That girl deserved a few hundred bruises for mocking her, calling her names and, on top of that, handing her such humiliating defeats. Not to mention, Ranko was so much like a boy anyway that it _felt_ as though she'd been beaten by a boy.

She picked up the other bucket, tightening her grip on both handles. She would defeat her. So help her, one of these days, she would hand Ranko's ass to her on a silver platter, extra crispy and seasoned with herbs. She would defeat her in a fight if it killed her.

* * *

Ranma wasn't really paying attention in class. She was too busy grumpily leaning her head on her knuckles and staring blankly out the window, past the empty seat next to her. She knew that Reina, Rin and Ruka were staring at her, as she'd caught them at it a few times, but she wasn't really interested in talking to them about the recent events.

Just what was Akashi's deal, anyway? All she'd wanted was some measly octopus puffs. Why did he have to get so worked up about it? Nobody got between Ranma Saotome and her food. That was just the way it was. How could he accuse her of whoring herself out, of all things?

Well, on the plus side, he'd turned out to be much weaker than she'd thought he'd be. She was able to beat him down without breaking a sweat, although the guy seemed to be quite good with blunt objects, like tables and buckets. He threw them around with wild abandon and even _she_ could get caught off-guard by that, loathe as she was to admit it.

She had to wonder about that final attack, though. A slap? Really? In her fourteen years of travelling and training, she'd never come across a guy who slapped when fighting. Heck, even female Amazon warriors, like Shampoo, used fists and weapons. What the hell was the problem with Akashi? God, he was such a little femboy.

When he'd slapped her, she'd seen a surprising amount of femininity in his face. It had stunned her and she'd been unable to respond. If it had been any other guy, she'd have probably punched him. Akashi, however, was far more girly than any other guy. It was weird. He even had emotional outbursts that made her suspect he was... PCMing, or whatever it was called. Her father had never gone into much detail about matters like that. Anyway, the fact that he'd looked so feminine had almost made it feel like she'd been slapped by a girl. Since she didn't hit girls, she'd completely lost any desire to hit back. She felt frustrated with herself for that.

A book suddenly bounced off her desk, startling her. "Yargh!" she yelped.

"Miss Saotome!" Miss Sachiko's booming voice called out down her ever-present microphone. "I understand that you've been through a lot today, but, please, play attention!"

She shrunk in her seat. "Yes, Ma'am..."


	7. Aftermath

Author's note: Hey there! This chapter is dedicated to all Ranma 1/2 fans who love the anime exactly the way it is and wouldn't change a thing!

I'm sorry if you don't like the direction my fic is taking. It's probably too late to say, but it won't be a fic of mindless fluff. I'm trying to keep it close to canon, as well as write every aspect of the characters' personalities. That's right. _Every_ aspect, including their deepest flaws. We all know they have them. It's best not to ignore them.

Also, their relationship _will_ get better. I'm just enjoying making them fight right now, okay? It's fun to do.

Last of all, 'Hitomi' and 'Ryo Sasaki' are fan-made names for certain characters. They mean 'beautiful virtue' and 'refreshing, wren'. Please enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter Seven: Aftermath**

Kasumi Tendo smiled as she hung out the day's laundry. Ah, chores. There was nothing quite like them. They kept her busy during the day and were always satisfying to finish. It was true that she'd never really gotten the chance to live a normal life since her mother, Hitomi, had died, but that was alright. She enjoyed taking care of her father and two younger sisters. She also enjoyed carrying on where Hitomi had left off. Being the Tendo family matriarch was rather like keeping a piece of her mother alive.

The front door opened. "I'm home!" Akane's voice grunted before the door closed again.

"Welcome home, Akane!" Kasumi called back.

Hurried footsteps echoed up the stairs. Shrugging it off as nothing important, she continued hanging the laundry. If it was serious, Akane could talk to her about it. She was always around to lend an ear if anybody in the house needed it. However, Akane was a very stubborn girl and often refused to admit that she _needed_ help or advice. This did concern her, but, if Akane wasn't willing to talk, she wouldn't try to force it out of her. It was her honest opinion that people should be free to lead their own lives and make their own decisions. She wasn't around to interfere. She was around to cook and clean, the two things that she was best at.

Her thoughts derailed as she pegged another T-shirt onto the line. She wouldn't be _able_ to cook and clean tonight, because of where she was going. This worried her, as she not only was _used_ to doing everything for her family, but enjoyed doing it. Not to mention, neither Soun, Nabiki or Akane had any experience with household chores, so who knows what would happen in her absence.

She remembered the last time she'd had a boyfriend. She'd been sixteen years old and in high school, much like Akane was now. Ryo Sasaki had been his name. She'd met him one summer, purely by chance and, although she'd really liked him, they'd had to go their separate ways. She'd never heard from him again and that had saddened her for a while.

After high school, she'd thrown herself into the role of her mother. She'd already been doing most of the housework since she'd been seven years old, but it was only when she'd turned eighteen that she'd taken on the role of maternal figure.

She thought about her current boyfriend, Tofu Ono, and smiled. The man might be the goofiest person that she'd ever met, but she couldn't deny that she found him charming. Besides, when he'd asked her out, he'd been so kind and sweet that she'd found it impossible to refuse. Having a boyfriend again after three years felt rather exciting, almost as though she was that naïve high school girl again.

Tofu had arranged to take her on their first date tonight. Although she'd been dating him for a week now – and making sure to visit his clinic with treats every day – she'd always been far too busy to spend any real time with him. She always had so much cooking and cleaning to do, but her father had insisted that she take at least one day a week off to go out with her new boyfriend. After protesting a little, she managed to get it down to once every two weeks.

* * *

Throughout dinner, Kasumi had noticed a strange scowl on Akane's face. It wasn't unusual at all to see Akane scowling – and even less unusual for the family to avoid her when she was in a bad mood – but she was certainly curious as to what was upsetting her youngest sister so much.

After washing the dishes, she began heading for the living room to watch some television, then stopped when she heard the very familiar sound of Akane punching and kicking at a straw dummy outside. My, things must be serious. Akane never brings out that dummy, unless she's _really_ angry.

Curious, she headed outside and around the back of the house. As expected, there was Akane, punching and kicking at the straw dummy. The only thing was, the dummy seemed to have a white shirt, a blue skirt and a bright red pigtail attached to it.

Akane was so unladylike. The girl always seemed to be angry about _something_, usually boys. Although, if Kasumi ever said that she'd tried hard to make her more ladylike, it would be an outright lie. Her baby sister was who she was and she felt that she had no right to change that. Besides, it gave the household a much more interesting variation when it contained a man who was always crying, a girl who was always calmly snarking and another girl who was always breaking things.

"Is everything alright, Akane?" she asked.

Akane stopped her furious punching in surprise and looked at her. "Oh..." she replied, wiping sweat from her brow, "hi, Kasumi." She glanced at the dummy and scowled. "Yeah, I just... had a few problems at school I need to deal with."

"Do you want to talk about it, Akane?"

Akane paused, then sighed. "Remember the new girl I talked about yesterday? Ranko?"

Kasumi smiled brightly. "Oh, yes. I remember you saying that she had bright red hair." She glanced back at the dummy and realised the resemblance. She placed a hand on her mouth. "Oh, my..."

"Yeah, well, she made a complete fool of me today. Not to mention, messed around with my friend, Daichi!"

"But I thought you _hated_ boys..." a smooth voice said as Nabiki appeared beside Kasumi. Kasumi put her hand back down to her side. "Oh and welcome home, sis."

"I do!" Akane replied. "But..." She paused, looking at the grass. "These three are different. They're still perverts... but they're my..."

"Friends?" The smirk could be heard in her tone of voice.

Akane's head shot up and she glared at Nabiki. "No!"

"But didn't you just _say_ they were your friends?"

"But...!" Akane paused. "Alright, fine. They're _sort of_ my friends."

"What happened, Akane?" Kasumi asked.

Akane heaved a deep sigh, scowling heavily. "Ranko took Daichi away to flirt with him and whore herself out to him, just to get his octopus puffs! It was so infuriating to watch! I couldn't just stand there, so I gave her a piece of my mind!"

"And how did _that_ work out?" Nabiki asked.

"The jerk acted like she wasn't doing anything wrong and started insulting me! She called me a butt-ugly femboy!"

"Oh, my..." Kasumi said.

"Wow," Nabiki said. "Lemme guess. You pummeled her with the nearest blunt object, right?"

"Of course! She insulted me, put me down in the worst possible way, and laughed about it! She _deserved_ to be hit with a table for that!"

"Oh, Akane..." Kasumi said disapprovingly. Her youngest sister could be such a ruffian sometimes. "Perhaps you went a little too far?"

"Yeah, no kidding," Nabiki said. "All that, over your friend's octopus puffs?"

"It wasn't just that! I wouldn't have hit her just for the octopus puffs! She insulted me! Plus, she was using Daichi, pretending that she liked him, just to take his food!"

"... So, what you're saying is: you hit her partly because she used the guy you've only known for a week..." Akane moved her head backwards, her eyebrow twitching as she appeared to hold her breath in horror. She had a strange habit of doing that whenever there was something she didn't want to admit to. "You must care about them more than you let on."

"Th-That's not true!"

It was a classic denial moment. Akane was very prone to these.

Kasumi beamed. "Oh, that's so sweet!" she said.

"N-No, that's not it at all!"

"Face it, Akane..." Nabiki said, "you've actually found three boys that you care about. There's no other reason you'd knock out a girl for them."

"But... But I..."

"It's so nice that you're starting to like boys," Kasumi said proudly.

Maybe this would, eventually, lead to bridal training. She'd always wanted to give her youngest sister bridal training.

"No, I'm not! It's just that... these guys... they're the first guys I've really gotten to know and..."

"You care about them," Nabiki stated.

"Only a little!"

"Uh-huh. Sure, Akane."

Kasumi could see that Akane was fuming, but she found it oddly cute whenever the young girl fumed over one of her secrets being leaked, rather than someone annoying her.

"So, what happened next, Akane?" she asked. "Did Ranko manage to forgive you over the table incident?"

"Like hell she did! She came back after recovering in the nurse's office, only to challenge me to a fight!"

Nabiki visibly stood up straighter. "A fight?" she asked.

Nabiki always loved to watch chaos unfurl around her, so long as she was never directly involved in it. Kasumi knew that she found it entertaining.

Akane glared daggers at the Ranko dummy. "Yeah. She's really good at martial arts. Much better than me... and she knows it. She gloated every chance she got and it made me so... so... Urgh!" She punched the dummy. "God, I hate her so much! I'm gonna beat her in a fight if it kills me!"

"Oh, my..." Kasumi said.

"Obsessive much?" Nabiki asked. "Well, I guess you could ask Daddy, although he hasn't trained you since you were four. I think you know why."

Akane fell silent and Kasumi knew that she knew the reason why. It was because she looked exactly like Hitomi, the love of Soun's life. He'd refused to train her properly, because he'd said it would be like hurting his own deceased wife. It hadn't stopped Akane from training _herself_, but there's only so much you can teach yourself when you live in a comfortable home and only do it as a hobby. True martial artists probably ate, slept and breathed their art.

Akane looked up at them with fire in her eyes. "I'm gonna get Dad to train me," she said. "I need all the help I can get if I'm gonna beat her, so, if I _have_ to, I'm gonna _make_ him train me!"

Kasumi thought that Akane was going a little overboard, but it was her policy to let her family get on with things by themselves. If Soun wanted to spend all day watching television, she'd let him. If Nabiki wanted to swindle people out of money, she'd let her. If Akane wanted to dedicate all her time training to defeat some girl that she'd only known for two days, she'd let her.

She smiled. "Good luck, Akane!" she said.

Akane grinned and nodded. "Thanks, Kasumi."

"You're going to need it," Nabiki said smugly.

* * *

Nodoka Saotome looked curiously at her son – who was male and dressed in his favourite clothes – across the low table, which he was leaning on to watch TV. He'd been rather quiet and grumpy since he'd come home from school, but what concerned her most was that she had no idea if this was normal behaviour for him or not. Her husband had deprived her of so much the last fourteen years, so she barely knew her own son. This greatly saddened her, but she was happy to have him back, Chinese curse or not.

"Is something bothering you, Ranma?" she asked. "You've been rather grumpy since coming home. Did something happen at school?"

"Hmph..." he replied, still staring at the TV, "not really."

She supposed that this behaviour was normal for teenagers. She'd read many magazines on the topic, just in case this was the age that Ranma was when he finally came home, but dealing with the real thing was a very different story.

"Ranma..." She tried to put on her best 'stern yet caring mother' voice. "If there's something wrong, you can talk to me, you know."

He looked at her. "It's nothing, Mom, really."

"Then why do you look so glum, Ranma? You seemed perfectly _happy_ yesterday."

She would have normally said 'this morning', but it was quite clear from the past two days that her son was _not_ a morning person. She'd had to throw a bucket of cold water on him both days, just to make sure that he got to school on time. She hoped that she wouldn't have to do that for three years straight.

Ranma glanced away. "Pfft. It's nothing I can't handle. Just this really annoying guy getting on my case."

"An annoying boy?"

"Yeah!" Ranma lifted his head and swung out the arm he'd been leaning on. "All I was trying to do was get some guy's octopus puffs, but Akashi just couldn't let it lie!"

"Akashi?"

"Some guy in my class. He got angry that I was using his friend and said I was whoring myself out! Can you believe that?"

Nodoka blinked in surprise. "And... what would make him say _that_?"

"'Cause, since all the guys seemed to like my girl side, I thought I'd flirt with him and see if I could get him to hand over his food."

Nodoka stared at him. Her mouth dropped open slightly, but, being a lady, she quickly closed it again. "Ranma... I... really don't know what to say to that."

He lowered his eyelids and looked away. "I wasn't doing nothing wrong, but, then, he had to go and insult me like that. Well, I wasn't gonna let that go so easy."

Anxious, she sat up straighter. "What did you do?"

"I insulted him right back! He deserved it, the stupid femboy..."

She blinked. "Ranma..."

"And then he had the nerve to hit me with a table!" He clenched a fist, then clonked his elbow on the table and leaned on his fist. "I challenged him to a fight and beat him way too easy." He smirked. "Heh. I taught _him_ who the better fighter is."

Nodoka frowned lightly. "Ranma, don't you think you went a little overboard?"

He looked over at her in surprise. "How's that?"

"You flirted with a boy, called this Akashi boy a... what was it?"

"A butt-ugly femboy."

She stared at him again, then composed herself. "Really, Ranma, you're not behaving very gentlemanly."

Ranma lowered his eyelids. "Mom, I go to school as a girl."

"Be that as it may, I expect you to respect your fellow classmates."

"Don't listen to your mother, boy!" Genma yelled, skidding into the room. Nodoka looked up to see tears streaming down his face. "You're finally doing your father proud, showing that Akashi boy who the best martial artist is!"

Gosh, her husband had such strange values. "Genma..."

"You're showing him the true spirit of the Anything-Goes style, just like a true heir!" He sobbed into his arm. "Now, all we need to do is get rid of that damn curse!"

"Tsk," Ranma replied. "Don't you think it bothers me _too_, Old Man? I go to school as a _girl_, so it's all I ever _think_ about!"

"Now, now, you two..." Nodoka said. This argument was getting very old, very fast.

"Nodoka..." Genma said, pushing up his glasses and trying to look like a wise old man. She knew him well enough to know that he was failing miserably. "The boy has been trained extensively in the art for the last fourteen years of his life. I have worked my hardest to make him a man among men..."

"Despite me never saying that you _had_ to?"

"It would have been my promise to you, had I chosen to take the boy away in daylight... but that is neither here nor there." He clenched a fist and looked at the ceiling dramatically. "If the boy is to inherit the Saotome School Of Anything-Goes Martial Arts, he must overcome every challenge, every obstacle, in order to become the best."

Nodoka sighed. Why her husband was so obsessed with this was beyond her. She severely hoped that all martial artists weren't this insane when it came to their children. She pitied the relatives left behind, if so.

"Genma... Ranma's behaviour in school was not appropriate."

"But, Mom!" Ranma protested. She looked at him. "Akashi hit me with a table!"

"But didn't you anger him first, Ranma?"

Ranma lunged his upper body across the table. "I only wanted his friend's octopus puffs! That was no reason to conk me over the head!"

"But you called him some rather rude names."

"Only 'cause he said I was whoring myself out!"

"Weren't you?"

Ranma paused, staring at his mother. Nodoka stared back calmly. After a few moments, Ranma threw himself back and sat with his arms crossed, pouting.

"I was only testing out my girl side... I hate it, but it has advantages, you know..."

Nodoka shook her head and sighed again. What was she going to do with this boy? Not many mothers, she was sure, had to deal with a gender-bending son.

"Ranma, I understand where you're coming from, but it seems you were very much in the wrong here."

"Are you siding with _Akashi_?"

Nodoka shook her head. "No, that boy's behaviour was also inappropriate. He lost control of his temper and incited a desire in you to strike back. However... you didn't take kindly to him getting angry with you for using his friend." Ranma said nothing. "They are likely best friends that have known each other for a long time. It's no small wonder why he stood up for him."

Ranma turned away grumpily. "Hmph."

"As for him hitting you with a table, that was inappropriate behaviour, especially in a classroom. What about the fight? What happened there?"

"Like I said, he was no match for me. I beat him easy enough and let him know that."

"... You gloated about it?"

"Atta boy, Ranma!" Genma said.

"Ranma, that's not very sporting of you. Did you anger him again?"

"Tch. Yeah. The guy's easier to anger than a bull." He smirked, puffing out his chest proudly. "But, hey, he can't beat me in a fight, so I've got nothing to worry about."

"You tell her, boy!" Genma said.

Nodoka shook her head again. She really wished that she'd had experience in dealing with teenagers, but, thanks to Genma, that would forever be a black hole in her life. She'd have her work cut out for her here. Not just with Ranma, either. It was like having teenagers for both a son _and_ a husband...


	8. Placid Lake

Author's note: Hey there! If you're still with me, then thanks very much!

Just a couple of things to mention. Firstly, the last three chapters (five, six and seven) all took place in the same day, so, if you're wondering why Ranma and Akane were still hating on each other in the last one, that's why. It won't all be like that, though, I promise.

Secondly, this fic isn't going to be short. I have so many ideas for it that it's likely to be huge. That's why the hating is dragging on so much, in case you're wondering.

Lastly, the title is from a film of the same name that involves a calm lake, beneath which hides a monstrous crocodile.

Anyway, please enjoy! And try not to flame too hard, people!

**Chapter Eight: Placid Lake**

Akane, seated at her desk, yawned. It had taken a while last night, but she'd finally managed to convince her father to train her properly again. He'd sobbed about it for a while, protested and sobbed some more, but he'd eventually agreed to it, saying that he was proud of her and it was probably about time anyway.

It was clear from the training session that Soun's abilities had dwindled over the years. He hadn't even trained _himself_ for twelve years, never mind anyone else, so he was considerably out of shape. He _had_ still managed to put up a decent fight, though, when he hadn't been wimping out and refusing to hit her, so he clearly still had _some_ skill left.

Yesterday, she'd been in such a rage over Ranko, but, today, she felt much calmer. Maybe it was partly because of the talk she'd had with Kasumi and Nabiki. Maybe it was partly because she'd vented her frustration in the training session with Soun. Mostly, though, it was because she simply didn't hold grudges for very long. She could fume about something for an entire day, but a good night's rest tended to cleanse the anger from her system.

Despite no longer being angry with Ranko, she wasn't about to give up her new training sessions. Heck, she'd gotten _this_ far, so why stop now? If her father was willing to train her, she wasn't about to tell him that he didn't have to anymore.

She was still determined to beat Ranko. One day, she'd defeat her and claim back her glory as Nerima's top martial artist. After spending years as the top dog, it was rather degrading to feel like the underdog at the arrival of one new girl, who had no problems with rubbing her superiority in her face. It made her look weak and she hated looking weak. For now, though, she was content just getting on with her life.

At that moment, the chair at the desk next to her moved. Turning to look, she noticed the girl in question sitting down. After a moment, Ranko turned her head and their eyes locked. They held that position for a few seconds before Ranko closed one eye and stuck her tongue out. Akane frowned lightly. So, Ranko wasn't going to be mature about this. Well, just because she wasn't pissed off at the girl anymore, it didn't mean that she had to like her. After another moment, she turned away, determined not to let Ranko ruin her day.

* * *

Ranma sat with her head on her wrists, pretending to be interested in what Miss Sachiko was telling her. She simply wasn't, though, and never _would_ be. Bored, she glanced to her left at Akashi, who was studiously taking down notes.

She wasn't annoyed with the guy anymore. She'd gotten over that after a good sleep. He was still a stupid femboy, but she had better things to do than concern herself with him. Besides, some of what her mother had said had gotten through to her. She realised that she _had_ gone a tad too far with Daichi yesterday. In her defense, it had been many years since she'd last eaten octopus puffs, so she'd been very keen to eat them again. However, she would no longer go so far as to grab hold of a guy when flirting with him for free stuff. She was sure she could make it work just as well from a distance.

After a few moments, Akashi seemed to sense that he was being watched, as he lifted his head and looked over at her. Knowing that he still didn't like her, she decided to mess with him some more and grinned cheekily. She was rewarded with another slight frown before he looked back down at his notes and continued writing.

She looked away from him, no less bored than before, and considered what Akashi had said yesterday. The guy had freaked out at finding out that she wore boxers and no bra. She puzzled over this one for a minute. Was it really such a big deal? And why would a _guy_ care about that, anyway?

It wasn't that she didn't _have_ any bras or panties. Oh, no. In fact, before she'd started her classes, Nodoka had taken her around various clothing stores. Not only had she bought her a few pieces of feminine clothing, she'd also gone as far as to get her fitted into female undergarments. She shuddered. It hadn't been a pleasant experience. She'd tried to repress the memory, but yesterday's fight had dragged it up again.

Nodoka had said that, if she was going to school as a girl, she should at least dress appropriately, using the bras for support and the panties for comfort. What she didn't know, though, was that Ranma had no intention of ever wearing those hideous garments. She was sure that girls liked them and were used to them. _She_, however, was not a girl. 'Ranko' did not truly exist, so she wasn't about to make her as real as possible by wearing those things.

If that strange femboy next to her didn't like the fact that she preferred boxers and a bare chest, well, that was _his_ problem.

* * *

Akane settled into her usual chair at Benjiro's desk at recess, only to jump as Chikao's arm wrapped around her shoulders.

"Dude!" he hissed with a huge grin on his face. "You are so lucky you get to sit next to Ranko, you know. Care to swap seats?"

"... Huh?" Akane replied, still too stunned to speak.

"Her performance yesterday was quite a sight to behold," Benjiro said. "Don't you agree?"

"She's quite the martial artist," Daichi added.

Akane frowned. "Hey, _I_ am, too..." she replied.

"Yeah," Chikao said, "but she was awesome. She totally kicked your ass, dude."

Akane's scowl deepened at the insult.

"Now, Chikao..." Benjiro said, "that's not very nice."

Chikao smirked. "True, though."

"Who knew she was so strong," Daichi said with a smile. "She must have trained her entire life to get that good."

That comment stung Akane's heart. _She_ was a talented martial artist, too. In fact, she'd been the best in Nerima for many years. God, Ranko was showing her up. She was making her look like a complete novice in comparison.

* * *

Ranma seated herself at Reina's table, ready for a relaxing recess, when Reina suddenly gave her ribs a gentle nudge with her elbow.

"Hey, Ranko," she said, "nice fight yesterday. Didn't bruise Akashi _too_ badly, I hope?"

"Eh, he'll be fine," Ranko replied.

"It looked so rough!" Ruka cried. "_You_ kicked _him_, _he_ slapped _you_..."

Ranko shrugged. "It was nothing, really. Akashi has a thick head, so I'm sure he'll survive."

"What about _you_?" Rin asked.

Ranko proudly puffed out her chest for a moment. "You kidding? I'm a martial artist. I can handle much more than _that_."

"Well, if you're sure..."

"And what was that he said about boxers, anyway?" Reina asked.

"Oh, that," Ranko replied. "Well, I'm not a fan of bras and panties."

"... I see..." Reina smirked. "Not much of a girl, then, huh?"

"Nope."

Reina blinked, obviously not expecting that response, but said nothing on the matter.

"Oh, my gosh!" Ruka cried. "Wasn't Akashi just the coolest yesterday?"

"... Huh?"

"Oh, definitely," Rin replied. "What he said was rather moving and inspiring."

"... Care to clue me in?"

"Tsk tsk," Reina replied. "Clearly, you weren't paying attention, Ranko."

"... Huh?"

"He stood up for girls everywhere!" Ruka squealed in delight.

"Yes," Rin said, "he certainly knows a thing or two about feminine modesty."

"Unlike a certain _someone_ we know," Reina added.

"He's not like the other guys at all!" Ruka said, cupping her hands under her chin in a dreamy state.

"No," Rin said. "They'd all be _happy_ if a girl was walking around bra-less... but not him."

"He's so considerate! I wanna marry him even more now!" Ruka sighed happily.

Ranma clicked her tongue in irritation. The stupid femboy slaps her and her friends start fawning over him for it? "Hmph. He's probably a girl _himself_. That'll be why he cares so much."

Reina lightly batted her on the shoulder. "Now, Ranko..." she said, smirking, "no need to be so jealous of your rival."

Ranma smirked right back. "Rival? Ha! Hardly. I kicked his ass yesterday."

"Yes..." Reina poked her in the side. "But he's more considerate about girls than _you_ are... and you _are_ a girl."

Ranma opened her mouth to argue this point, but realised that Nodoka wouldn't be too happy with her if she did, so she closed it again.

* * *

Eventually, it was lunch time, Ranma's favourite time of the school day. Her stomach rumbling, she picked up her book bag – which contained today's bento box and yesterday's baked sea breams that she'd not been able to eat yet – pushed her chair back and stood up. An instant later, someone crashed into her.

"Hey!" Akashi cried in his rather feminine voice.

Ranma turned to frown at him, but the sight of the guy's angry scowl gave her a strange impulse to mock him.

"Watch where you're going, femboy!" she said. She pulled down the skin of her eye and stuck out her tongue. "Your big head getting in the way again?"

Akashi growled threateningly. "Why, you... jerk!"

Ranma made a thoughtful pose. "'Jerk'?" She grinned mockingly at Akashi. "Wasn't it 'bitch' yesterday? You must be losing your touch, Akashi."

Akashi growled again. "Just... stay out my _way_, Ranko!" He barged past her, knocking her sideways into her desk.

Ranma was not pleased about being shoved into her desk. Standing up again, she glared at Akashi's back, then opened her mouth wide and stuck her tongue out, waving her hands around at the same time. "Nyah! Gee, Akashi, I didn't know you had such thick thighs!" Akashi stopped dead. "They could put a _gorilla_ to shame!"

Akashi whirled around and glared daggers at her. "_What_ was that?"

Ranma retracted her tongue. "Seems you're pretty dumb, too!" It made her oddly giddy to see how much these insults pissed him off. She simply couldn't stop. "I said your thighs make your arms look like twigs!"

Akashi scowl deepened. "Why, you..."

Suddenly struck with inspiration, Ranma gently struck her palm with her fist. "Hey, that's it!" She grinned widely. "You're dumb as a brick, and built like a stick, with thighs that are too thick!" She laughed at her own ingeniousness.

Akashi growled. "Raaaankoooo!" He picked up a chair and flung it at her.

As she saw the chair flying towards her, she had a split second to dodge. Fortunately, her brain just managed to function fast enough. She tilted as far to the left as her body would allow and the chair crashed into the wall, barely missing the window.

"_Mr. Tendo_!" Miss Sachiko's microphone-enhanced voice yelled across the classroom, causing everyone to jump and look at her. A vein appeared to be twitching on her forehead. "I will not allow fighting in this classroom! Pick up one more item of furniture and you will be made to stand in the hall!" Ranma sniggered, causing Miss Sachiko to turn to her. "And Miss Saotome!" Ranma immediately stopped sniggering. "No bear-baiting! This classroom is my pride and joy and I will not tolerate another fight in here! If even _one_ thing gets broken, there will be hell to pay! Do I make myself clear, you two?"

"Yes, Miss..." both teenagers grumbled.

This appeared to calm Miss Sachiko down. "Good. Now, get on with eating your lunches in peace."

* * *

Akane stood in the dojo, dressed in her kenpo gi, and faced her father with determination. Soun, on the other hand, looked uneasy. His stance was completely wrong, almost lax, as though he wasn't even trying.

"You're certain to still want to do this, Akane?" he asked cautiously.

"Yes, I'm sure," she replied.

"... Okay, then." He tightened his stance. "Come at me."

Akane nodded, then gave a battle cry and charged. She flung out her fist, but Soun blocked by crossing his arms over his face. Irritated, she pushed her fist harder, making him slide backwards slightly. Realising he wasn't going anywhere, she swung her leg around, only for him to duck out of the way. Not expecting this, she lost her balance slightly.

Soun immediately grabbed her suspended leg and flipped her. She flew into a backwards somersault, landing in a crouched position with a small twinge in her ankle. She ignored it.

"Come on, Dad! You're hardly trying!"

He looked at her sadly. "Oh, Akane... do you really think I could hurt my youngest daughter?"

"Come _on_! _Attack_ me!"

She lunged at him again in a flurry of punches. He managed to dodge every single one without too much effort.

"Now, Akane..."

Akane was getting pissed off. Why couldn't her father consider her a martial artist in her own right? Whether or not they shared flesh and blood, she wanted to be taken seriously! She swung a harsh punch, which barely missed and cracked a hole in the wall. Distracted, she stared at her embedded fist in horror.

"Oops..." She pulled her fist out of the wall and turned to Soun, embarrassed. "Sorry, Dad."

Soun blinked at her for a moment, then put on a contemplative pose. "Hmm..."

"... Dad?"

Soun nodded a few times to the ceiling. "Mmm-hmm... mmm-hmm..." He relaxed his pose and looked back at Akane. "I think I know what the problem is."

Akane's eyes lit up. Her father was actually going to teach her something useful? "Yes? What is it?"

He put on a sagely pose. "What we need to do, I think, is to work on your technique."

She was _really_ fascinated now. "Uh-huh? Uh-huh?"

He folded his arms. "Your kicks are powerful, but you put too much energy into them."

She blinked. "Huh?"

"Your technique has always been about power, rather than speed." She frowned lightly. "If you wish to beat this... what was her name?"

"Ranko."

"That's the one. If you wish to beat this Ranko girl... whom I've been told is rather advanced in her martial arts skills... then you will need to sacrifice some power for speed."

This offended Akane. "Hey, what's _wrong_ with my technique?"

Soun jumped backwards, clearly not expecting the outburst. "Well, I..."

"It's worked plenty of times for me in the past, so why wouldn't it work _now_?"

"But-"

"Dad, it's the technique I'm most comfortable with!"

Soun suddenly burst into tears. "Please! Stop yelling at me!" He ran to the corner and crouched down, sobbing.

Akane heaved a sigh. Gosh, her father was such a crybaby. Maybe he had a point, though. He was only trying to be helpful and Ranko _was_ pretty damn fast. It probably _would_ take a lot more than power to beat her. After all, she was a whole other class of fighter. Hell, she could probably knock out the horde of Furinkan High perverts twice as fast as _she_ could. That thought alone annoyed her.

"Alright, Dad. I'll give it a try."

He slowly turned to peek at her through waterlogged eyes. "Y-You mean it, Akane?"

"Sure. Just show me what to do."

Soun jumped up in delight, spinning to face her. "That's my girl!"

* * *

The next day, Ranma was running late to school. While he'd been male, his mother had decided to let him get up on his own today, but he'd insisted on sleeping in late. As a result, Genma had barged into his room and belly-flopped on his bed, sending him flying into the wall. It hadn't been the greatest of wake-up calls. Honestly, he'd have preferred another bucket of cold water.

After that, he'd had to wolf down his breakfast at a speed foreign even to _him_, change forms, get dressed and race to school. Currently female, she was running full-tilt along the fence. She suspected there was no need to run on the fence – as the pavement would have worked just as well – but it was good balance training. Plus, it made her feel a bit cooler, knowing that she could do this when not many other people could.

Up ahead, she could see the school gate closing. She clicked her tongue in annoyance, although it wasn't too much of a problem. She wasn't a martial artist for nothing, after all. Jumping down from the fence, she ran towards the gate. As she got closer and closer, she could see the gap between the metal barricades getting thinner and thinner. Before she'd even made it in time, they connected in the middle.

Smirking as she approached the gate at full running speed, she jumped high into the air, propelling herself off the top of the gate with one hand and doing a somersault before landing in a perfect crouch. Without stopping to admire her skills in the art – as she already knew how amazing they were – she stood back up and continued running towards the school building.

Bucket duty may not be that big of a deal to her – considering her incredible upper body strength and ability to hold things many times her own weight – but that did _not_ mean that she enjoyed doing it.

She dashed inside, quickly throwing off her outdoor shoes and switching them with her indoor shoes. Closing her shoe locker, she shoved her toes into the indoor shoes, wiggling them around and tapping them on the floor to make them fit, then ran to the classroom.

With any luck, she'd make it just in time and Miss Sachiko wouldn't have to put her on bucket duty. She'd much rather sit next to that grumpy femboy, Akashi, than stand in the hallway for half an hour. As a male, he'd done enough of that in the boys-only middle school he used to go to.


End file.
